LEADER IN BACK
Neil Peart of Rush, arguably the best rock drummer in history.
When we think of a prototypical leader, we think of a commanding presence out in front, leading the way. How boring.
We've been so conditioned to think of leaders as people who "take control", who are uber-confident, powerful, almost omniscient. And we have come to expect that from our leaders at work, in our communities and on the world stage. We even expect that of ourselves in roles where we are asked to lead, especially when given stewardship of power and influence in our work and personal lives.
Fair or not, we've held this perspective of leadership as such a high bar that relatively few ever reach. That's not to say that the out-in-front leader is neither important nor valuable. On the contrary. It takes incredible skill and moxy lead from out front. This is, however, not the only way that leaders occur in the wild.
Enter Neil Peart.
Neil is the drummer for the Canadian rock band Rush, who gave us legendary rock songs like "The Spirit of the Radio", "Tom Sawyer", and "Subdivisions". Whether you like Rush or not, you have to give it up for the fact that these guys outlasted most rock bands in the world, creating a sound that can only be them, and were a creative force in both the progressive rock and mainstream rock music genres (take that, Rolling Stone!).
Did you know that Neil wrote most of the lyrics for Rush? I bet you didn't. I mean, isn't it usually the lead singer - the front person - who writes the words? Or even the guitarist or the keyboard player, who at least carry the instrumental melodies? Sure, that's how most bands work. But then most bands never had a Neil Peart.
What strikes me about Neil - besides the fact that he drums like he has an extra pair of arms and legs - is that he is one of the best examples of "leader in back" - the leader that lays down the beat, punctuates the band's performance and brings his thoughts and intellect forward through others. The result? Freakin' Rush!
Neil doesn't sing or do backup vocals. He gets one drum solo a night. And he doesn't do "meet and greets" with the VIP's. He's intensely private and completely honest and open about that. So how does that style of leadership work?
A Preference for Collaboration - Well for starters, while Neil writes the lyrics to the lion share of the songs, he depends on Geddy Lee (bassist) to interpret and present them to the audience. Working through others, he is able to share his ideas and intellect while leveraging the singing skills of another.
Relentless Improvement - In 1997, years after attaining huge success with Rush, Neil noticed that Journey drummer Steve Smith's playing had improved tremendously after working with renowned drum teacher Freddy Gruber. Neil signed up with Freddy and discovered a whole new approach to drumming. Mastery of a craft doesn't mean there is nothing left to learn and the best leaders embody this through relentless improvement. Oh, and he used to warm up for 2 full hours before every performance. I mean, who does that?
Humility - "I can't pretend the stranger is a long-awaited friend..." -Limelight, Rush. In the Rush documentary "Beyond the Lighted Stage", Geddy describes Neil as intensely personal and intensely shy. He doesn't crave the limelight, and sometimes can't understand hero-worship. He's a reluctant leader who simply wants to be as good as he can be without all the attention.
Courage In Adversity - Also in 1997, Neil's 19-year old daughter died in a car accident. 10 months later, his wife succumbed to cancer and passed. I can only imagine that kind of experience crushing any of us. Neil took a 4-year sabbatical, motorcycled 55,000 miles around North and South America, remarried and re-joined the band. Looking tragedy in the face and moving through it (or motorcycling through it in this case) takes a tremendous amount of courage. By their retirement, Rush was enjoying the most popularity of their career and were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Team First - Geddy said it best, "I don't want to be in Rush if those two guys (with guitarist Alex Lifeson) aren't in it. There is no Rush with all three of us." Each of the three members of Rush lead the group, though two of them - Geddy and Alex - just happen to be out in front. The commraderie, connection and collaboration the three of them share has resulting in a global community of Rush fans. Neil is the seemingly silent partner, though his influence and impact are undeniable.
As biographical as this post is, I hope you get my point - the leader of a team, a family, a community or an organization doesn't always have to be the one who's most visible, who shouts the loudest or who is always "right" (whatever that means). Each of us, in our own way, lead in all aspects of our life. We lead by example, we lead by our expertise, we lead by our collaboration skills, we lead by our team-first mentality. And yes, some of us lead out in front. All of these ways of leading require courage, focus, inspiration and a deep orientation to one's purpose. It seems simple, but for a lot of us it sure ain't easy. And in some ways, leading from the back requires more skill, more finesse, more depth and more other-ness than the other way. Just look at Neil and you'll see what I mean.
