NBA Player, Chauncey Billups, said, "To be a good leader, at some point you have to be a good follower. I was always a good follower. I always followed the right people and listened to the right things. Those helped shape me as a leader." So, are you a good follower?
I can't tell you how many times I have heard "Are you a leader or a follower?" when I was growing up. A subtle principle was communicated through that question: "be a leader not a follower!"
But if everyone is leading, then who is following? I have never heard athletes confess, "I am just a follower. Leadership is just not for me." We all want to lead. Volumes have been written on leadership, but very little has been written on followership. You know, the art and skill of being a great follower.
Followership is the beginning of leadership. The best competitors have mastered the art of following. Following means intentionally watching, learning from and imitating others. You observe those who are walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, who live with humility and courage, who exhibit integrity and compassion, who make wise decisions, and then you choose to follow in their footsteps. Paul, as he followed the example of Jesus, urged other believers to imitate him in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."
You don't follow others based on championships, title or position but example and influence. Followership starts at the foot of the cross. Pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Remember, when you follow well, you lead well.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard "Are you a leader or a follower?" when I was growing up. A subtle principle was communicated through that question: "be a leader not a follower!"
But if everyone is leading, then who is following? I have never heard athletes confess, "I am just a follower. Leadership is just not for me." We all want to lead. Volumes have been written on leadership, but very little has been written on followership. You know, the art and skill of being a great follower.
Followership is the beginning of leadership. The best competitors have mastered the art of following. Following means intentionally watching, learning from and imitating others. You observe those who are walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, who live with humility and courage, who exhibit integrity and compassion, who make wise decisions, and then you choose to follow in their footsteps. Paul, as he followed the example of Jesus, urged other believers to imitate him in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."
You don't follow others based on championships, title or position but example and influence. Followership starts at the foot of the cross. Pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Remember, when you follow well, you lead well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Britton serves as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Executive Vice President of International Ministry and Training at the National Support Center in Kansas City. He has been on FCA staff since 1991, first serving for 13 years in Virginia and most recently as the Executive V.P. of Ministry Programs. In high school and college, Dan was a standout lacrosse player. He continued his lacrosse career by playing professional indoor lacrosse for four years with the Baltimore Thunder. He has coauthored three books, One Word That Will Change Your Life, WisdomWalks and WisdomWalks SPORTS, and he is the author and editor of eleven FCA books. He still plays and coaches lacrosse and enjoys running marathons. He and his wife Dawn reside in Overland Park, Kansas, with their three children: Kallie, Abby and Elijah. You can e-mail Dan at dan@fca.org.
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Sunday, August 30, 2009
10 Ways to be a Great Follower
A long time ago, when I was conducting one of my first management training classes, a crusty old general foreman snarled at me, "Hey kid, maybe you should be teaching my employees how to be better employees, instead of wasting my time".
Since then, I've spent the last 20 + years trying to develop great leaders. There are thousands of books, articles, and courses on how to be better leaders. Yet, after all of this effort, we still seem to have a shortage of leaders and a lot of employees sure seem dissatisfied with their bosses. Sometimes it feels like we're just spitting in the wind.
Well, after all these years, I'm thinking old crusty may have been on to something there. Let's face it; even the most powerful leaders have to answer to someone; so at some point, we all have to be followers. And great leaders can't be great unless they have great followers. Heck, a team of great followers can even make the most average of managers a great leader.
So how about if I stop telling everyone they should be a leader and instead practice what it takes to be a great follower? Here are some things I love to see from my own employees, and have tried to practice with my managers.
1. Keep your manager informed.
Leaders throughout history have made bad decisions based on a lack of information or bad information. Great employees keep their managers abreast of key projects, even if they don't ask. A manager can't recognize and reward if they don't know what their employees are doing. Managers also hate finding out about bad news from someone else. If something happens, like a dissatisfied client, give your manager a heads-up there may be trouble coming their way.
2. Always support your manager behind their backs.
That also means don't criticize your manager behind their backs. For one thing, it's unprofessional. It's also a safe assumption that whatever you say, good or bad, will get back to them.
3. Be good. Damn good.
When an employee consistently delivers extraordinary results, most managers end up giving them more trust and latitude. And when a manager doesn't have to waste their time cleaning up after mistakes or following up, they have more time to spend on vision, strategy, recognition, resource allocation, and other good things that benefit the entire team. Do what you say you're going to do and do it well.
4. Admit your mistakes.
When you make a mistake, admit it. Be accountable; don't make excuses, don't point fingers, and don't act like a victim. Tell your manager what happened, what you're doing to fix it, and what you've learned so that it won't happen again.
5. Be a great peer.
See post, "Would Your Peers Vote for You". Be a team player; be an advocate for them behind their backs. Managers can't stand back-stabbers, and they can sniff it out no matter how subtle you think you're being.
6. Don't bring problems to your manager, bring solutions.
OK, it's a tired cliché, but it's true. Don't delegate upwards.
7. Prioritize your own work.
Great followers never have to ask their managers to help prioritize their work for them. New employees might need to do this – or average employees – but not the great ones. They always seem to know what's important and urgent, and what can wait.
8. Be an optimist.
Everyone loves being around optimists – the positive attitude and energy is contagious. When you're the person who always sees the glass as half-empty, you end up being a real buzz-kill for everyone around you.
9. Embrace change.
Everybody says the love change – as long as the change is their idea. A great follower can see the possibilities in someone else's idea. Be the early adopter; don't be the laggard.
10. Love what you do – or do something else.
If you don't like what you do, it'll show up in your work and attitude. You're not doing yourself, your manager, or your co-workers any favors by hanging on to what you consider to be a lousy job. Life's too short – find something that you can be passionate about.
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Executive Summary: "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" - John Maxwell ::
Not so much a book review, but an 'Executive Summary', a condensing of key ideas… Leadership consultant and former pastor John Maxwell offers twenty one "laws" distilled from his experience as a self-confessed "expert leader"..
Leadership consultant and former pastor John Maxwell offers twenty one "laws" distilled from his experience as a self-confessed "expert leader."
1. The Law of the lid.
Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organisation. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That's why when a corporation or team needs to be fixed, they fire the leader.
2. The Law of Influence.
Leadership is simply about influencing people. Nothing more, nothing less. The true test of a leader is to ask him to create positive change in an organisation. If you cannot create change, you cannot lead. Being a leader is not about being first, or being an entrepreneur, or being the most knowledgeable, or being a manager. Being a leader is not just holding a leadership position. ("It's not the position that makes a leader, but the leader who makes a position.") Positional leadership especially does not work in volunteer organisations. The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate. "He who thinks he leads , but has no followers, is only taking a walk."
3. The Law of Process.
Leadership is learned over time. And it can be learned. People skills, emotional strength, vision, momentum, and timing are all areas that can and should be learned. Leaders are always learners.
4. The Law of Navigation.
Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Vision is defined as the ability to see the whole trip before leaving the dock. A leader will also see obstacles before others do. A leader sees more, sees farther, and sees before others. A navigator (leader) listens – he finds out about grassroots level reactions. Navigators balance optimism with realism. Preparation is the key to good navigation. "It's not the size of the project, it's the size of the leader that counts."
5. The Law of E.F. Hutton.
Hutton was America's most influential stock market analyst. When he spoke, everyone listened. When real leaders speak, people automatically listen. Conversely, in any group or church, you can identify the real leaders by looking for those who people listen to. According to Margaret Thatcher, "being in power is like being a lady – if you have to tell people you are, you aren't." (p45) Tips for a Positional leader – like a newly appointed minister – who wants to become a REAL leader… look for the existing real leaders and work to have influence there. Factors involved in being accepted as a new real leader include character, building key relationships, information, intuition, experience, past success. and ability.
6. The Law of Solid Ground.
Trust is the foundation for all effective leadership. When it comes to leadership, there are no shortcuts. Building trust requires competence, connection and character.
7. The Law of Respect.
People naturally follow people stronger than themselves. Even natural leaders tend to fall in behind those who they sense have a higher "leadership quotient" than themselves.
8. The Law of Intuition.
Leaders evaluate everything with a Leadership bias. Leaders see trends, resources and problems, and can read people.
9. The Law of Magnetism.
Leaders attract people like themselves. Who you are is who you attract. (Mmmm… I thought like poles were meant to repel!) Handy hint: "Staff" your weaknesses. If you only attract followers, your organisation will be weak. Work to attract leaders rather than followers if you want to build a truly strong organisation.
10. The Law of Connection.
You must touch the heart before you ask people to follow. Communicate on the level of emotion first to make a personal connection.
11. The Law of the Inner Circle.
A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him. "The leader finds greatness in the group, and helps the members find it in themselves." (p113)
12. The Law of Empowerment.
Only secure leaders give power to others. Mark Twain said, "Great things can happen when you don't care who gets the credit." (p127). Another point to ponder… "Great leaders gain authority by giving it away."
13. The Law of Reproduction.
It takes a leader to raise up a leader. Followers can't do it, and neither can institutional programs "It takes one to know one, to show one, to grow one." The potential of an organisation depends on the growth of its leadership.
14. The Law of Buy-In.
People buy in to the leader first, then the vision. If they don't like the leader but like the vision, they get a new leader. If they don't like the leader or the vision, they get a new leader. If they don't like the vison but like the leader, they get a new vision.
15. The Law of Victory.
Leaders find a way for the team to win. "You can't win WITHOUT good athletes, but you CAN lose with them." p162). Unity of vision, diversity of skills plus a leader are needed for a win.
16. The Law of Momentum.
You can't steer a ship that isn't moving forward. It takes a leader to create forward motion.
17. The Law of Priorities.
Activity is not necessarily accomplishment. We need to learn the difference. "A leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells "Wrong Jungle!"" (p176) If you are a leader, you must learn the three "Rs"... a) what's Required b) what gives the greatest Return c) what brings the greatest Reward.
18. The Law of Sacrifice.
A leader must give up to go up. Successful leaders must maintain an attitude of sacrifice to turn around an organisation. One sacrifice seldom brings success. As he worked to turn around the Chrysler Corporation, Lee Iacocca slashed his own salary to $1 per year."When you beome a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself."
19. The Law of Timing.
When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. Only the right action at the right time will bring success.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth.
To add growth, lead followers. To multiply growth, lead leaders. "It is my job to build the people who are going to build the company."
21. The Law of Legacy.
A leader's lasting value is measured by succession. "Leadership is the one thing you can't delegate. You either exercise it – or abdicate it."
REFLECTIONS
This is a book with some valuable practical insights. John Maxwell, a former senior pastor and now a management consultant, has spent much of his working life reading and researching the essential features of leadership. But don't be misled – while Maxwell offers practical insights, there is very little biblical material involved. This is a book that sits on the shelves of Christian bookshops only by virtue of Maxwell's publishing connections.
