Do leaders follow orders?

In democratic society we should percieve leadership as a pyramid, or as a circle maybe. Although not so obvious at first, but hierarchy among leaders ,and people in general exists. Every leader, in one way or another, gives orders, and every one of them is bound by some orders as well. Directives, rules, laws, all of them are some kind of orders, and not following them brings various but similar aftermaths. In democratic society, citizens are where it all starts, they are the ones that legitimize leaders and give them power, so we can say they are at the bottom and at the top as well.