Why Followership is Essential to Great Leadership

Wars are won by great leaders. These great leaders are valiant, strong, mentally capable and physically durable. Their victories inspire nations and their failures teach lessons for generations. Either way, great leaders are remembered and revered.

 Blah. Blah. Blah.

This idea- that leaders win the battles, that leaders are the sole reasons for wins or loses- is rubbish. How can anyone, powerful, courageous, rich or even bullet-proof, win a war without an army?

They can’t, and they don’t. Make no mistake; the mark of a GREAT leader is their Followership.

One Sharp Edge

We have all seen articles, videos, and hundreds of books on what make great leaders. If looked at closely, most of these resources provide leaders with a vague idea of what tools they should use to accomplish great things. Their advice essentially hands the reader a sword with one sharp edge. While they may be able to defeat many foes, their blunted sword will eventually meet a sharper, double-edged sword, only to find they aren’t the great leader they thought they were.

 The leader with the double-edged sword has something invaluable and crucial to being a successful leader- followers.

Sharpen the Other Side

Strong followers are often underestimated and disregarded- this is a HUGE mistake. Think of it this way; if a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the strongest chain would have the strongest links. The same applies to great leaders. In fact, the best leaders surround themselves with the smartest, most capable followers they can find.

Just as leaders require certain attributes, so do followers. A great follower knows how to choose their leader, and will only choose the cream of the crop. Once a great follower has chosen you as a leader, it’s only a matter of time before other strong followers join your team, creating a force to be reckoned with. You would be able to trade your blunt sword in for a sharp and lethal one.

Attracting a Strong Followership

As a leader, you should always consider the things you’d look for in a leader. You most likely have high standards, and you should expect your followership to have similar expectations.

Ask yourself

• What would I look for in a leader? (Accountability, good communication skills, follow through etc.)
  • Do I possess those attributes?
  • Do my actions line up with my words ALL of the time?
  • Do I transcend my title? In other words, do I rely on my position to attract followers, or do I lead with conviction despite my title?
  • As a follower, would I trust me?
    • Do I show concern for my team and their success?
    • Do I communicate with my team in a clear and concise way that inspires productivity and encourages success?
      • Do I take charge in times of crisis, or do I panic?
      • Am I consistent in my dealings with my team, or do I change my policies with the direction of the wind?
      • Ultimately, would I be willing to wear a blindfold and follow myself anywhere without hesitation?

If you answered no, you can’t expect anyone else to do the same. A great follower, when matched with a truly great leader, will follow their leader anywhere at any time without question. This is because a GREAT leader realizes they need more than an inherent sense of leadership- they need to attract and maintain a strong Followership.

So, remember, the next time you go into battle, your armor isn’t just your skills as a leader, but the people you’ve surrounded yourself with. Smart leaders are not the smartest people in the room, their followers are.

If you’re the smartest, most talented person in the room, what does that say about your company? If anything, it should tell you to find another room and better company.

Sharpening your sword as you read, Lex.

Wrapping up the first quarter

It’s 4^th down at the 10, 30 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter. You’re not relying on a miracle for this play- this all boils down to how hard you worked in practice, scrimmages, and the first fourteen minutes and thirty seconds of the game. When the quarter is over, when it’s all said and done, did you make the touchdown? Not only does this provide tangible success for your team, coaches, and the franchise, it sets you up for the three quarters left in the game.

How are you trending to meet your yearly goals?

Though the first quarter of any year can be slow, it’s a good indicator of team performance. To wrap up the first quarter, review your performance:

• What were the goals and expectations of the team for the first quarter?
• Did the team meet those goals and expectations? Did they get a touchdown?
  • If not, how close is the team to achieving them?
  • If not, why wasn’t the goal met? Is it something the team can adjust for next quarter? Does the goal need to be redefined to be more realistic?
  • If yes, what made the team successful? How can that be replicated next quarter?
  • Look at any other measures- what are the trends? Are any of them warning signs for future performance issues?

How to Win the Whole Game

Even if you had a less than stellar quarter, or missed the touchdown altogether, looking back at the trends of the quarter can set you up for the last three. This is a great time to fix the errors that tripped you and/or your team up. Develop a strategy, keeping your eye on the prize for the rest of the year. Evaluate

• The goals
  • Are they appropriate? Do they help the team achieve success? Are they clear and easily understood? Should any of them be redefined or reinforced?
  • The measures
    • Do you have appropriate measures in place? Do they reflect the success of your team as they relate to the team’s goals? Can anything be added or deleted to better define the team’s goals?
    • The strategy
      • Do you have your best players in key positions? Are you playing to your team members’ strengths? Do any of the players need to be switched to be more effective? Is your team constantly playing offense (being proactive) or defense (being reactive)? How can you change your strategy to lead your team to success?

Though every touchdown is crucial, the first quarter is more forgiving than the rest. There is value in assessing the performance of the first quarter whether you made the touchdown or not- either you were successful and need to know what you did in order to repeat your performance, or you fell short and need to tweak some things to win the game in the end.

Cheering for your touchdown, Lex

Hello 2013

Welcome to the end of another year– a time to take inventory, clean up and to celebrate.  As all systems are being pushed to the maximum to end the month, quarter, and year with a big bang, remember the people that have made it all possible.  So many times as leaders, we are pushing so hard for the needed business results that we pass over some important conversations and celebrations.

I want to take a few minutes to offer you some keys tasks to set on your 2013 calendar that will ensure that this time next year, when you push for the results, your team will be able and willing to exceed expectations…and maybe even surprise you! It’s critical that you don’t allow the spectacle of the final performance blind you to the people and man hours that made the production possible–

from the stagehands to the supporting actors, each and every team member played an important role in your box office success, and deserves to be recognized for it.

Setting the Stage- January 2013

1. Schedule a lunch or offsite meeting with each team member and share the goals for the upcoming year.
2. Ask what role they see themselves playing on the team toward the goals you all have.
3. Share any ideas that you have for them as well, and align the tasks and outcomes to the team and company objectives.
4. Place some measures around them and schedule 30-day touch base communications, which can be adjusted as needed.

Casting Calls- March 2013

• Host a team meeting and start with a celebration of all the wins the team has experienced, highlight several particularly important ones and tie them back to the team and company targets. This helps each player recognize his or her contribution to the bigger picture.
• Prior to the meeting, have each team member identify another team mate for going above and beyond, as well as an area they see for the team to bridge a gap or adjustment needed to align results to the team goals.
• Rinse and repeat this exercise the first week of every quarter- Schedule it NOW!

Ongoing Auditions- the first week of each

month (or as needed)

• Create a culture of open door auditions for people to realign themselves or to identify when a team-mate may need to be leveraged differently.
• Keeping this conversation alive will go a long way toward the team remaining engaged.
• A team’s ability to hold each other accountable will assist in keeping the goals alive and attainable.

Tony Awards- September 2013

These awards are for the stars of the fourth quarter of 2012 through now.  You will need to identify the key factors that make a star shine on your team.  It is vital to make these factors measurable and a stretch for everyone to attain.  The celebration should be a big “to-do” and one that is communicated up and down the organization.

Benjamin Franklin said,

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Take the time to set your team and company up to enjoy success by preparing for 2013.  Happy Holidays to all of you, and remember to express your thanks to those that you lead throughout the year.

With Holiday Cheer,  Lex

Do your walk and your talk line up?

So many of us have worked with or for a leader that did not choose to build trust amongst their team.  In fact, from where we sat it appeared they outright lied about things.  All too often a leader fosters an environment of mistrust without being fully aware it was happening or knowing what to do to change it.  Teams that share a safe and trusting environment have a very distinct look and feel, below are some clues.

A team that trusts each other has key traits that are worth noting.

1. They share a common language
2. They all know where they are going
3. They create a safe environment that fosters calculated risks
4. They are high energy
5. They trust their leader
6. They have fun along the way

The leader of a high trust team demonstrates clear, concise and consistent communication.  When presented with a change or challenge they share what they know AND what they don’t know.  They acknowledge the teams fears and DO NOT allow the team or themselves to marinate in them.  A plan of action is in place to remove or move through the fear.

This leader builds trust most importantly by being their word.  When they fall out of step (as we are all human) they correct and communicate the correction quickly.

Are you this leader?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about who you are as a leader. If you wish to be a leader that people trust and follow, true up in these areas and you are well on your way.

1. Do you honor other people’s time?
2. Do you follow through 95% or more of the time on what you say you will do?
3. For the 5% you are not able to follow through do you communicate before they other party is let down?
4. Do you walk into or away from the “tough” conversations?
5. Do you hold those around you accountable? (the rest of your team is watching)
6. Do you keep confidences while encouraging teammates to work through issues that arise amongst themselves in a respectful and timely manner?

These questions are great reminders to revisit to ensure that you are growing yourself and your team in the area of truthfulness.  This will help create a safe environment, which fosters high performance.

Listen to Stephen Covey share what TRUST is and how it looks and the real cost and dividends tied to it!

In trust. Lexy

Mirror Mirror on the wall….. we all know how this story  goes and the distorted sense of self that the Wicked Witch seeks. Leading is not for the faint of heart or those that are seeking food for their ego.   Leadership requires a strong desire to know oneself as you really are and create action towards the version of YOU that you want to become.

This is often called Accountability, Responsibility or a Call to Duty.  In short it simply means stepping into your greatness, owning it and letting others see you doing it.  It will be messy as failure is a part of the process, it will be life altering and more importantly it will be honored when done with consistency, honesty and humility.  Your goal is to become a leader YOU would follow.

When we set the bar to improve on our own game we create space to learn humility. In that humility you see others and they see you, as you are and in those brief moments of authenticity great things happen.  Breakthroughs happen, innovation takes root, synergies are created and battles are won.

So be a leader that has a mirror in their office not just to check your teeth after lunch or fix your hair, but to look into when YOUR team faces a tough situation and you want to point at them.  Start with YOU!  Raise the call of duty flag and let everyone know their part only after you are clear of yours.

Leadership Accountability Resources

Some resources to start or continue the journey of self are listed to the right of this blog. Take a few minutes NOW to move into a NO EXCUSES Leadership space with the video below.

Congratulations on being an active part of the toughest journey any human takes, knowing self.

Humbly. Lexy

There are 6 things that you will want to do in your first 30 days as a New Manager:

1. BE AUTHENTIC: Pull the team together and let them know you are humbled to be chosen to lead them.  Explain that while things will change in some ways that because you have come up within the team you will not forget the things that matter and will be working on removing barriers to help them be more effective.
2. COMMUNICATE ROLES: Take the time to explain what your new role is and what it is not and that there will be new boundaries as a result (i.e: you won’t be headed out for drinks with the team like before). Define what you expect and need from each member of your team you now lead.
3. BUILD NEW PEER RELATIONSHIPS: Learn who your new peers are and start to build relationships so you can begin to understand how things work or don’t at the next level up.  Listen more then you talk, be a student for a while.
4. BUILD INDUSTRY RELATIONSHIPS: Within your industry and outside of your organization build relationships that will be good resources for best practices and safe places to work through internal issues.  Always be in search of a solution DO NOT make it a place to file complaints.
5. OWN YOUR CAREER:  Make sure you are clear what success looks like with your leader. Document it and true it up every quarter at minimum.
6. TIME OUT: This shift is intense and will leverage competencies you did not know you had. You may  need to “muscle up”.   Schedule time away with people and things you enjoy so you fuel up for yourself and your team.

Monkey in the Middle

Many of us remember the childhood game of “Monkey in the Middle”, at times in our childhood it was a fun game filled with lots of laughter and energy. There were other times we would find ourselves in the middle and not making any contact with the object that would allow us to move from a position of no power to one of power.

Often times being a middle line Manager feels like an endless rendition of this childhood game. I am sure the not one of us was ever on the play ground thinking that we would like this game to be our livelihood, yet here we are in Middle Management.

Talent Taboo’s will be a forum in which Middle Managers can come to learn the grown up rules to this childhood game. Together we will inquire, learn and share resources to help each other through the maze of being a “Manager in the Middle”. Please feel free to send me your questions so we can create some dynamic and game changing conversations.

I look forward to direct communication with you. Let’s  find the joy in where you are in your career, after all the middle can see both up and down the path, a unique and powerful perspective that all organizations need to realize results!

Thank you for visiting!

Lexy