Leaders must bring forth the change they intend. This is leading.

An obstetrician induces a mother’s labor to bring forth a new baby into the world. The mother and doctor work together. What does that have to do with leading an organization? What’s induction got to do with it? As we will discover, more than you might have thought possible.

Induction’s earliest root meaning would suggest, “lead into”. Its current usage in business management mainly refers to onboarding new employees in an organization. For the future of business leadership we must be concerned with bringing in, as in bringing in followers, but more importantly, with bringing forth — of the intended change we seek in the world. 

Your education, as a manager in a leadership position, likely includes a master’s in business administration. But if you are to genuinely lead you must become a master of business induction. You must see through the idea of change with the work of change. You, and your followers, perform this work together – which is logical enough.

Speaking of which, the field of logic introduces yet another useful meaning for induction. Whereas deduction involves the certainty of conclusions if the premises are true, induction involves the work of reasoning in the real world — with premises that may or may not be perfectly true but are the best we have to go on, in launching our change efforts. And notwithstanding the clarity of our vision, or the strength of our belief, we face highly uncertain outcomes.

The labor that leader and follower apply to creating a future they desire together is the type of induction we need in this world. It is the type of change force that will best equip you for your leadership work. I am certain about that.