Often times, one of the
hardest things to do for leaders is to follow others. However, you show your
true ability to lead by the way in which you follow your leaders. Being a great
leader does not mean that you are always at the front, great leadership begins
with the ability to champion your leader’s vision.
How can you be entrusted with
great vision yourself if you can’t be entrusted with someone else’s vision? Whatever
you do at the level of following, you will do at the level of leading. At work,
in ministry, or in your family, when your leader shares his or her vision with
you how do you respond? Do you attack it, criticize it, try to sabotage it, or do
you abandon ship?
Great followers can take their
leader’s vision as their own & multiply it. They do this by understanding
the heart of their leader’s vision. They spend time knowing the in’s & out’s
of it. They carry it in their heart as if they came up with it. And they are
constantly thinking of ways they can make that vision greater.
Great followers know they are
needed in order to carry out their leader’s vision; they know that if their
leader wins, they win. A great follower refuses to criticize his or her leader’s
vision for the sake division, but they study it to see how they can make it a
reality. When you ask questions about your leader’s vision, do you do it to
negatively pick apart all the faults of it or do you ask questions to see how
you can enhance it?
How you follow is how you will
one day lead. When you are a follower you are laying a foundation for your
future leadership. The reality is that you are also setting a precedence for
all those who are following you now, whether you see them following you or not.
Let’s Do This Together
On a scale of 1 – 5 how would
you rate yourself as a follower? When your leader communicates vision do you immediately
criticize it or do you think of ways to contribute to it & make it greater?
It's funny because our culture tends to celebrate the "assertive" follower. Too often this is the guy who on the surface seems an energetic and eager member of the team, but in reality he is simply looking for an opportunity to take over. They are not content simply being a member of the team, a follower, and are constantly seeking recognition for their contributions. They position themselves as a leader, and everything they do is with the ultimate goal of promoting themselves. Everything in our culture is set up to reward this mindset, from the classroom to the boardroom. There is nothing wrong with being confident and even assertive, but what God seeks from us is a true heart of humility (Psalm 18:27, Matthew 23:12). When we recognize the vision of our leaders, those who God has appointed to guide us, as coming from God, how can we not step back in awe and wonder, thankful that God would use us to carry His vision forward? If that's not humbling, I don't know what is
ReplyDeleteAlan, it is so true what you said about our culture celebrating the 'assertive' follower. Perhaps this is why the art of following has declined, leading ultimately to a decline in the art of leading. Humility is the cornerstone of leadership & if someone cannot humbly follow, there is no way he or she could set a pattern of humble leadership for those he or she are leading. Great thoughts bro!
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