The proverb defines ideal royalty as a blend of strategic leadership and service. A good royal does not look on for courtiers and servants alone to defend the realm. Indeed a servant can lend support only after leadership has shown the way. Where leadership fails, ordinary citizens have no alternative but abandon ship and witness state collapse.  

A captain is not only a warrior, but also the pace setter and trail blazer.  Any sign of leadership inertia or frailty  is bound to have a ripple effect and lead to defeat.

The imagery here is a reflection of pre-colonial society where royalty, the primary custodians of the land, combined political and military leadership. Much as a leader or captain had a standing army, his own role as pace setter at war was critical in determining the group’s fortunes. If leadership sets a good pace, the people are inspired to rise and defend the realm to uphold state sovereignty. Should a leader abdicate his role, not only does he lose moral authority; he takes full responsibility for state humiliation.

The message here is often emphasized in the initiation ofemerging leaders:  they are expected to appreciate theircritical role in shaping corporate destiny.

Negative leadership has a ripple effect on citizens as well as society at large.