Strong Leaders Wear a Feathered Cap

If you want to be a strong leader, you need to know when to draw attention to yourself.

𝒀𝒆𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

In my last post I wrote about the characteristics my former coaching clients attributed to the people they considered the strongest leaders in their life (Leader A) and weakest leader (Leader B). In this post and in the next few, I’m going to share a few examples of some paradoxical truths that I gleaned from those conversations. In other words, I’m going to describe the times when one ought to defy a common convention in order to help bring out the best in others. In this post, the common convention is humility.
But first, an admission I often have a negative, visceral reaction to leaders who signal their rank through signs of status. When I see a picture of an emperor or a king dressed in all of their regalia, it has not been uncommon for me to roll my eyes and/or be filled with skepticism.

But recently, I’ve noticed that there are some historical leaders to whom I do not have this reaction.

Can you imagine George Washington going into battle without a bold-feather-plumed cap? That bold, unmistakable symbol of rank and status let everyone know exactly who was in charge. It was a symbol of authority, a declaration of his leadership

But let me tell you a little secret: Washington didn’t wear that cap out of arrogance. He wasn’t trying to draw attention to himself for the sake of vanity.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧.
That feathered cap made him visible. And visibility on the battlefield meant risk. In the era of single-shot, black-powder weapons; when a leader put a feather cap on their head, they did so knowing that this visible sign of rank and status meant that the enemy was going to focus their most lethal attack on the one wearing the feathered cap.
Washington didn’t hide among his troops; he stood tall, knowing full well it made him a target, and that was the point: he used his position and authority to inspire courage in his men and to draw enemy fire away from them.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬.
They use the “feathers” of leadership not to shield themselves but to provide safety for their team; and based on the experiences of my coaching clients, it does not go unnoticed when they do. Leaders who put themselves at risk to protect their team were frequently chosen by my clients as examples of “Leader A.”

But here’s the hard truth: too many leaders wear the feathered cap only when it serves their personal interests. They love the spotlight when it’s easy—when it’s about recognition or applause—but they tuck it away when the shots start firing.
Washington did not earn the adoration of his men by wearing the feathered cap in parades or while strutting around the relative safety of the army's camp. This is, in fact, what many of my clients believed their “Leader B” did; and this ostentatious behavior almost always generated resentment in the people watching them do so.

Strong leaders draw attention to themselves when it counts—not for their glory, but for the protection and benefit of their team.

So, what does this look like in practice?

𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: Be the first to tackle the hard, visible tasks—whether it’s staying late to solve a problem, handling an angry client, or making a difficult decision. Your actions set the tone for your team.

𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞: When things are tense, let your team know you’ve got their backs. Don’t pass the stress down the line—shield them from it and guide them through it. When something is going wrong, take responsibility for the results and never give in to the temptation to pass blame.

𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐞: Shine the light on your team’s achievements, even if it means putting yourself in the background. Leaders are visible when it matters most but humble when the team succeeds.

Leadership is a derivative of the old German word '𝐿𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑛,' which means ‘𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜’ or ‘𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦’. True to common convention there is a time for leaders ‘𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜’ last… a time to insist on being the last one through the line… But there are also times when people expect a leader ‘𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜’ first, and those are the times where courage is needed instead of humility.

So next time, when it’s time to charge and the bullets are flying… Don’t forget to wear your feathered cap.