“I’m the leader”, said my six year old niece as she rushed ahead of me. It’s a natural to think of yourself as a leader. A leader is in a position of power, with the ability to influence while a follower doesn’t have a mind of their own. That was my initial reaction until I thought a bit more about what it means to be a follower.

To lead, you need people. To follow, you don’t need a leader. You can be a follower of rules. I felt I was more of a leader than a follower as I tend to question things and have a mind of my own until I thought of all the rules I follow. Not just the rules I’m legally required to but social norms. Sometimes unlearning rules which don’t serve us is the hardest bit. I don’t mean rules which protect others from our behaviour but the rules which keep us nice and compliant.