Leaders and Followers are both vital to the fabric of any organization. As much as you need leaders to set the path and motivate others to follow through, you also need productive followers who are willing to listen, learn and execute on the plan set before them. No organization can do without one or the other.
The world is mostly made up of followers and a subset of leaders. Of course, leadership is a learned trait and most of us play both roles within certain limits.
Leadership is about:
- Developing a vision, sharing it and building support around it.
- Strategizing and planning execution to realize the vision.
- Leading execution of the strategy while overseeing the completion of planned goals.
These tenets are universal to any organization and are mostly measured through fiscal success, I mean EBIDTA, profits, market share, stock value etc.
But, true leadership has other dimensions as well; corporate social responsibility and emotionally intelligent people management being two of these.
An organization that aspires for success ensures that every associate in the organization knows and lives the true reason of its existence. In order for this to happen, every leader in the organization, from the CEO to line management needs to imbibe and practice the principles of valuing the people assets of the organization. Customers and those that serve them are equally important to the organization. Motivating associates to perform to their potential by managing their individual hot buttons and then, channeling this work to meet the needs of the clients is the salient execution principle of any successful organization. This ultimately leads to the realization of organizational goals, the yardstick it measures its success by.
At all levels of management, a prime factor of success is optimal people management. The amount of effort put into strategizing and planning an organization’s path also has to be put into managing and growing the people assets who are instrumental in realizing the plan. With leaders that share in the vision and willing followers, any organization is destined to meet its set goals!
Finally, an organization has to think and act beyond itself. Making an impact in the community it thrives in and standing up to be a pillar of the community’s progress enhance the perpetuity of the organization and take it beyond the plans it was conceived with. That, in sum is the true culmination of its existence and success.
Now, ask yourself some key questions to understand where you are and how you need to fine-tune your work style to get where you want to be;
- What do you do for work? Do you believe in the vision set forth by your organization?
- Are you a leader or follower?
- As a leader,
- How much do you value your team? Do you take time to listen to them or are you just giving instructions most of the time expecting follow through?
- Do you treat your team with the same respect that you expect of them?
- Is your team totally sold on your idea of execution so that it will be a success?
- Do you know your team members’ hot buttons so you can work on keeping them motivated and provide direction and help in the realization of their goals?
- Do you exhibit enough appreciation for what your team does?
- As a follower,
- Do you truly believe in the vision and plan set forth by your leadership? If not, do you question and make suggestions?
- Do you listen and follow through per expectations? Do you go beyond?
- Do you feel a valued member of your team? If not, do you express concern and work with your leader to ensure mutual transparency and work to build a plan to help get there?
- Do you offer suggestions and new ways of doing things?
- Can you be the best lieutenant your leader can ever find?
Find your answers, make your course corrections and let me assure you, the journey towards your goals will be as fulfilling as attaining them!
Rajeev Mudumba 