Ursula Burns on Leading & Following

What's Going On?

You just saw a shirtless man dancing by himself on a grassy hill surrounded by other people, possibly at a music festival. Suddenly a second person joins him and starts dancing. And then another person and another joins in, until nearly everyone is dancing. What's going on?

Derek Sivers, the TED speaker, says:

"The biggest lesson...is that leadership is over-glorified. That, yes, it was the shirtless guy who was first, and he'll get all the credit, but it was really the first follower that transformed the lone nut into a leader....If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow, and show others how to follow."

Now, let's turn to a completely different situation. Take a look at Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox, as she talks about leadership at the 2013 Catalyst Awards Conference. Listen to what she says about being a leader—and being a follower.