What is the meaning of [Better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion]

It is better to be in a leading position of a small group than one of the
numeral followers of a bigger one, in which case one’s skills and values
cannot be noticed easily.

> The young athlete always played for his home town team rather than moving to
a larger city with a bigger team. He thought that it was better to be the head
of a dog than the tail of a lion. ****