There are many synonyms for the phrase "follow the lead of," all of which essentially mean to be guided or influenced by another. These synonyms include imitate, emulate, mimic, mirror, copy, conform, comply, adapt, adopt, and conform. By using these synonyms, we can express the same idea in a variety of ways and avoid redundancies in our writing or speech. For example, we might say "adopt the approach" instead of "follow the lead of the approach" or "mimic the style" instead of "follow the lead of the style." Regardless of the phrasing, the underlying concept remains the same: taking cues from others to achieve a desired outcome.