Climb Better, Part 3: Who to Follow

There’s a statement made about the loudest talkers and decisive decision makers ... they remember names and can make people feel welcome. People call them “natural leaders” because they have charisma. However, is that a reason to follow someone? 

Followership is an interesting concept. Inevitably all leaders follow and all leaders lead. How do you know what voices to listen to? How do you know who to let influence your thinking? How do you know when to follow and when to lead?

It’s wise to follow a leader whose character has kept up with their responsibility and capability. This type of leader can be driven to take action, driven to create process, driven to help others or maybe driven with a unique blend of all ... people, performance and process. All types of leaders can have character with responsibility and capability. 

Every leader follows someone, in some capacity. When is the last time you read a leadership book and started to implement a practice or share the learning with your team? When is the last time you listened to a podcast and took action or thought deeply? When is the last time you shared a challenge with a peer and took their advice? Every leader follows someone in some way. How do you choose who to follow?

Every positional leader has to put themselves in a position to follow a team member at some point in time. If you want to rest, grow, and develop, you have to follow. 

Here are a few questions I think are important to ask when choosing to follow. Just remember, others are asking similar questions to decide whether or not they should follow us. 

• Is the leader’s character up to par? 

• Is the leader’s competency at the level of their responsibility? 

• Is the leader willing to listen and ask for help from others?

• Has the leader shown the capacity to accomplish the goals?

• Does the leader know where they are going and how to get there? 

Keep a look out for the next newsletter when we share two key reasons to follow.