Coxswain

sometimes offered as the metaphor: if several individuals try to row a boat while out of sync and with each attempting to steer in a different direction, much energy will be expended with little progress made. A successful leader (in the metaphor, the coxswain), however, inspires the rowers to stroke in sync in support of a common direction, which will cause the boat to go farther and faster toward the desired destination. 2. The literature on leadership, both academic and "self-improvement," is now