To the untrained eye, a typical flock of geese flies in a strict V formation. The leader does what leaders do, flying in the front and taking on the full force of the wind while everyone follows in its wake.
Lots of teams in the corporate world move together in a similar fashion. One person leads while everyone else follows in his wake. Everyone has a job to do and everyone follows the leader. Strict formation.
But if you watch the flock for more than a glance you’ll see that it doesn’t move in a strict formation. Every so often the leader is replaced by another member of the flock. They alternate so that the flock always has a fresh leader.
And if you observe certain teams in the corporate world you’ll notice the same behavior. The best led teams — the great teams — possess multiple leaders with diverse abilities who move the team in new and sometimes exciting directions.
Human flocks — or teams — tend to have only one ‘titular’ leader. One CTO or CDO or COO or…whatever. But the best of them hire and groom and encourage leadership wherever and whenever they can find it.
And no one will ever mistake their team for a ‘strict formation’.