For a brief amount of time, I was the tech lead of a software project. Before that, I thought that leading was a matter of gently telling people what to do, being open to questions and suggestions from the team, and, generally, being patient.

But the experience left me with more questions than answers. How can some people lead whole armies to their death while I couldn't even get my points across (i.e., “I'm afraid you're doing it wrong. You have to do it this way.” Or: “If you have doubts, don't waste time we don't have: Just ask.”)?

My first instinct was to think: “Well, you need to surround yourself with people who share your vision or at least are experienced enough to understand it.” But that seems like an easy way out. You can't always be surrounded by like-minded people, right?

So, how do charismatic leaders do it? Is it just that they seek idiots to manipulate? Can they really do it without some form of coercion or propaganda? I don't know.

I don't like being a boss, it's just that I usually know better what must be done or where we should go, so being a subordinate frustrates me, too.