Leading is never Dragging - even for "The Right Reasons"

I had a recent situation where a leader had a noble goal - to inspire others to follow a very compelling direction. But it turned into more about leading, then coaching, and finally dictating. But in a way it felt OK to this person because the people involved "should" have followed....the reasons were "so compelling" that they need to act like professionals and "get onboard."

The image came to mind of someone dragging a mule dying of thirst to water.....seems like leading would work given the circumstances....if not, then surely the hope of refreshing water is so compelling the mule would follow...and finally to dragging the damn thing to the water. While I don't know the psychology of mules, I do know that just because a leader believes the message is terribly compelling, there is still no room for dragging people along the path.

The root of this problem is relatively simple to understand and implement - and it continues to amaze me how often it is abandoned or not used: ask! Communicate! Try to understand their perspective! I know this has happened many times over the years for me - "I cannot for the life of me imagine why they are hesitant...." only to later learn of their point of view and think "oh, yeah, now that makes total sense."

So the warning sign is "I can't for the life of me understand......"
And the most impactful response is "I need to understand their perspective...."

....even in those cases where you see them dying of thirst and you keep trying to hand them a glass of water. Leadership is never dictating, dragging, coercing....ever, period.