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Mastering followership
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Posted by editor Fri Apr 14, 2006 15:34:13 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Not just anyone can be a good follower. In fact most people are terrible followers.
That’s because we all want to be the leader. There’s way too much truth in the old truth in the politically incorrect, “Too many chiefs, and not enough Indians.”

I guess the paleface could never admit that he had a problem playing follow the leader.

Most of us grow up insecure and with at least some self-esteem issues. But most of us think it’s only our problem. So we never talk about it. We think we’re the only one who feels that way.

I know in my case it was a controlling and repressive father. When he said, “My way or the highway,” it wasn’t simply a rhetorical statement. He meant it. So as long as I lived at home, he got his way. But I wasn’t a happy camper.

But boy! When I finally went off to college, the old proverbial dam broke. All those secretly entertained desires I had suppressed came out. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

My father didn’t get the result he was looking for. And the results of my “doing my own thing” resulted in a lot of ugliness in my life. The means of poor leadership on my father’s part and poor followership on my part ended in near disaster.

I’ve assumed leadership positions many times in my life. And to be perfectly honest, I’ve not usually seen the results I have been looking for. To be brutally honest, I’ve actually blown some of my leadership attempts.

But until you’re willing to look at your failures, you can’t really be successful. It’s been suggested that the definition of insanity is “doing something the same way you’ve always done it before and expecting different results this time.” So in recent years, I have been working on developing serving skills instead of trying so desperately to be a good leader.

Being a good follower starts by bringing your ego under subjection. And that starts with reining it in yourself instead of letting it rule you. This is being the leader in the most important place of all—the leader of our own personal self. When we get our egos in line, we stop worrying if we’re going to get the credit. We cease to be concerned with getting the personal glory for the success because we understand that none of us performs in a vacuum.

Now that our ego is under control, we can finally hear what others around us are saying. Understanding this isn’t just about our success and our needs, we begin to listen and find that those around us actually have feelings, too. And wonder of wonders, they actually have some darn good ideas from time to time.

But the most amazing thing is to discover that the person leading this project or mission is actually worth following. Yeah, they don’t always communicate as clearly as you might wish. They sometimes muddle up things and sometimes get a little testy, but deep down inside, they’re really okay. This person has earned the right to lead and in spite of the rough edges, there’s a lot to like here.

And when we throw our heart in to performing our role as a follower and a member of the team, that’s when we begin to understand what it takes to be a leader.

Because no leader can lead without someone following. No leader can demand that people follow. No title or ownership share can earn loyalty. Only a leader who has learned from being a follower can understand the need of those who follow. The need for importance and meaning in even the smallest role.

I love being around great leaders. They make me feel important. They cause me to feel my contribution to the endeavor matters, no matter how insignificant. These leaders value their followers and are always quick to give them credit instead of grand standing and grabbing all the glory for themselves. These indeed are leaders we would willingly follow to the very ends of the earth.

Until we appreciate what it means to walk in the shoes of the follower, we’ll never be able to march in the boots of the leader.

Mark Moore is a Chartered Financial Consultant with Q4 Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. Securities and Advisory Services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member NASD/SIPC. Your feedback is valued. Email Mark at MarkM@Q4Financial.net.

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