№ 03 / Stage Three
Lead.
Lead is the third stage of the Lead Manage Follow philosophy. Leadership is the act of taking the weight when nobody else will. You define the direction, you name the cost, and you stand in front of the room when the decision goes wrong.
The job. Pick the hill. Walk up it first. Bring the right people. Cut the rest, cleanly.
The tax. Loneliness. Visibility on bad days. The luxury of complaining is gone. You are the complaint people make.
The privilege. Watching people you trained surpass you. That is the whole point.