With their captain gone, the team was suddenly leaderless.
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history
From 《易经·乾卦·用九》: 见群龙无首，吉 - 'seeing a flock of dragons without a leader is auspicious' (in the original, a positive image of non-hierarchical harmony). The modern idiom inverts that, describing leaderlessness as a problem.
usage
Modern usage is negative (chaotic, rudderless) despite the original auspicious sense in the 易经. Context makes clear which organization has lost its head.
