Follow Before You Lead

If you’re like most people, you see a person walking confidently in front with a pack of people following behind.

Unfortunately, this image is incomplete and has given many aspiring leaders the wrong impression. If you look at the ineffective leaders in your organization, you’ll find that they mistakenly lead by running out in front and asking (and sometimes cajoling or forcing) others to follow.

What ineffectual leaders don’t realize is that this image of the strong leader with willing followers is the result and NOT the process of good leadership. The best leaders know this rule:

Start where people are to bring them where you want to go.

All leaders, good and bad, have a vision for their organization. They see a better future that others don’t see. That’s why they want to lead. In their minds, they’ve already crossed the finish line but to make it a reality, they need others to follow.

You don’t need to be an executive to lead. Job titles are not a measure of leadership and if you need to rely on your title to get things done, you’ve already failed. As long as you have an idea for making the company, department or team better, you are in a position to lead. Whether or not you’re successful will depend on your ability to influence others to take action towards achieving your vision.

The mistake you may make when trying to lead is to share your idea for a better future and ask people to come to you. This is common because:

• you strongly believe your vision benefits everyone and can’t imagine why people aren’t already running to you
• it’s easier to ask someone to come to you than to walk back and walk with them at their pace
• your ego feels good when people do what you tell them to do

Not surprisingly, this method falls short because most people are not convinced that your vision for the firm is in their best interest and they have no motivation to follow you. This is especially true if you’re a new leader to the firm. The main difference between a strong leader and a weak leader is their ability to influence others.

How can you influence others to follow you and your ideas?

Start from where they are and allow them to lead you first.

This means doing what great followers do:

• Take time to listen to other people’s agendas and viewpoints
• Keep an open mind and go along with their ideas and suggestions (as long as they are ethical and legal)
• Find ways to serve and add value to help them advance their goals

There is no question that this is initially more work for you than the traditional method of demanding others to follow but the sustainable returns will be significantly better.

Here is why:

You come up with a better execution plan

You’re the leader because you have the ability and responsibility to make the current situation better.

To help bring your vision to life, you craft a plan for execution that is perfect …

… if everyone else thought and acted just like you.

Unfortunately, most people are not like you (or else they would be the leader) and your plan is probably ill-suited for them. When they try to execute your plan, they fall short of your expectations causing demotivation for them and frustration for you.

By following others first, you get a clear sense of their priorities. You will see how your “perfect” plan may impact their work and this insight will help you create a better action plan. By understanding their constraints and pressure points, you’ll be able mitigate pushback and present your plan from an empathetic standpoint that appeals to their motivations.

You build trust and credibility

New leaders and their visions are frequently met with distrust especially when people feel comfortable in their roles or have experienced too many “change for the sake of change” initiatives. By following first without pushing an agenda, you establish yourself as a resource to others. By listening to their needs and following through on your promises to help, you’ll begin to build both trust and credibility.

Once a strong relationship is established, people will give you the benefit of the doubt when hearing your vision for the future. They will also give you candid feedback because they want your initiative to work.

You open their minds

When you start from where other people are and show openness to their suggestions and viewpoints, there is a good chance that they will look to return the favor. They may not agree with you but they may be willing to give it a try. This trial is what you need to prove to them that your vision and plan works.

Many leaders set themselves up for failure by grabbing the reigns too early. They see a problem and look to solve it right away without consideration for the people who need to execute the solution. They sometimes exacerbate this by bringing in external consultants who are even further removed from the company to propose a solution that looks great on paper but fails brilliantly in execution.

Leading others is hard because life is complex. There are no right or wrong answers but there are patterns and probabilities. If you want to increase your chance for success as a leader and influencer, follow first, then lead.

What has been your experience as a leader? What is the approach of the great leaders in your life? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.