What are ways to develop a leadership character arc or a character becoming an unexpected leader?

Question

Good morning! I have a character in my novel who I would like to start out as unsure of her place in the group but develops into one of the leaders if not the leader.

The setting is post-apocalyptic fantasy, rural to small town, and they also have some magic. The character is a creative type (artist, bard, playwright, etc), and does things like negotiating trades at market, so she is not a fighter build. The villains are superpowered so she can't just make a show of physical strength and bravery.

So as time goes on, I would like her to take on more of a role as leader, but not in a military way of giving commands that aren't questioned. Also, she gets injured, and for a while, can't go out running into danger.

In what ways can she lead? What can she do creatively? What traits make a less-obvious leader? What lessons can she learn about leadership? How can she develop relationships that make people want to agree to what she thinks the group should do?

Note also that all the other characters are very capable at their specialties. Their village trained them all in survival skills. As I have been working on my draft, I'm finding that since the other characters are so capable, they all put in their own opinions and decide what to do without much need for leadership, especially getting closer to the end where a lot of relationship conflicts are getting worked out. In what ways could the artist girl improve on group decisions? I'm also thinking of having more actions, less talking heads, as they make plans?

Any suggestions welcome, including what to avoid, what makes a bad or unbelievable leader.

Answer 1

A Few Thoughts on story arc:

I have a few ideas, mostly things I've seen from more stories than I can reasonably reference.

• Create opportunities for unexpected and decisive leadership: Perhaps your character is on a scouting/salvaging mission and [insert dramatic event] happens. They are suddenly thrust into a situation where they must take control or the mission fails, or everyone dies. So they demonstrate to themselves and others that they have the potential to be a good leader.
• Build a pattern of small leadership: Foreshadow your MC's leadership by creating small chances to lead or take an active political role. Open with your artist taking on a local art festival after the usual organizer gets sick and can't do their job. When the west gate of the village is under attack, the MC is on the spot and uses [insert dramatic action] to prevent the village being overrun. Of course, being disgusted with the incompetent but well-meaning leadership of the doctor puts the MC in the spot to have support of the faction most likely to appoint the next leader. And if the MC is personally liked by the doctor, the doctor may be anxious to get rid of a job they never really wanted in the first place.
• Prove everyone wrong: Your MC tells everyone that [X] is true, but no one believes them. They all say [Y] is true. But when [X] turns out to be true, the MC is validated and others are less sure of their own intrinsic correctness. They put more trust in the MC's judgements.
• Extraordinary abilities: Once you have supernatural introduced, your character may have some kind of talent or ability that makes them more reliable or natural as a leader. Demonstrating increased resistance to mental influence would mean people trust the MC's judgement more than that of others. I had a character who foresaw the future and knew (approximately) when the current leader was going to die, so she was not shocked like the rest of the team and was able to step in to save the day (naturally, angst over not being able to prevent the prior leader's death).
• Stubbornness or consensus-building: Depending on the MC's personality, they may either be really good at getting people to get along, OR conversely extraordinarily stubborn once their mind is made up (not mutually exclusive). So the MC is always smoothing out trouble, impressing people with her ability to keep things working, OR if told they can't be in charge, will then do whatever it takes to prove the person wrong (becoming the leader more to prove a point than for any desire to be the leader). You said that at the end of the story, a lot of the interpersonal issues get worked out. If the MC is involved in making people settle their differences, they've established their leadership role.