Jesus was a follower.

The first thing a leader does is follow. Follow his vision, follow his mentor, follow his heart. You cannot lead if you do not follow. Jesus described himself as a follower. “I do not seek my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.” Jesus prayers were heard by God because of his reverent submission to Him. Jesus followed his Father to the point of obedience. “Not my will but yours be done.” He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death. Jesus recognized whom he followed and from where his authority originated. He was granted life and given authority by the one who sent him. Jesus was following the Father.
Authority may be given, appointed, earned or inherited. But leadership is not authority. Just because one has authority doesn’t make you follow him, quite the opposite. We judge those with authority more harshly and look upon them with distain when they falter as a leader. Leadership is derived from vision. Leaders see where they want to go. Leaders see what needs to happen or the way the world should be. They have a clear vision and they are willing to serve and sacrifice for it. Following that vision is what inspires others. The greater the vision the more compelling the call. Sadly, vision is often more important than character to leadership. People with low character can lead if they articulate a compelling vision. Hitler as a leader had vision but little character. Even liars can lead, at least for a while. Those with authority should be judged, leaders should be tested and visions clarified.
Finding character, vision and sacrifice all together is like finding gold. Jesus said “follow me” and they did.  When Jesus succeeded -- he healed the blind, fed the masses and raised the dead-- they followed him. When Jesus failed -- he was arrested, put on trial and executed-- they followed him. Jesus came back and left again and they still followed. His character was true, his vision was pure and his sacrifice was total. All authority was given to him yet he was never self-serving. Everything was placed at his feet yet he washed the feet of others. He existed in the form of God was equal with God yet humbled himself. He was the first to follow the vision. Jesus came among us as one who serves. The servant is in reality the master. The first to follow was the leader. He who loses all gets everything. The dead man lives forever. The leader who asks nothing of you except what he is willing to give, what he has already given, is the leader to whom you trust everything.
Jesus is following and he is leading simultaneously. His vision is clear.  His dedication complete. His motive is pure love. He follows the Father, we follow his lead.  It is all mixed together, blending like colors in a sunset. You can pick out all the different colors if you try but they all blend together so well that what you see is the beautiful vision of the sun setting. Catch his vision.