Liquid Leadership: Inspirational lessons from the world's great leaders

Chapter 11. FLUIDITY

"Creativity distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

STEVE JOBS

By nature, all human beings are inquisitive animals. Research has repeatedly shown that when we are faced with a choice between the tried and tested and the untried and unproven, we're still more likely to choose the latter. This rule also applies when we choose our leaders. We are often more inclined to follow a leader who is stimulating, intriguing and sometimes unorthodox than a leader who comes across as conventional and plain vanilla.

There are, of course, limits to the amount of stimulation and intrigue we will tolerate, but when a leader is able to inspire others to tackle new kinds of challenges, consider alternative approaches and embrace brand new ...