How to Lead so People Will Follow
Leadership is not a simple thing. Authority is not the same as leadership and often managers with authority make poor leaders. Leaders are those who challenge the status quo and inspire others to do the same. "The very nature of leadership is that you're not doing what's been done before. If you were, you'd be following, not leading," says Seth Godin, a renowned expert on leadership and marketing. Leaders must have followers, otherwise they would be rogues or hermits. If you are ready to do something that's never been done before and to challenge the status quo, you need followers.
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Instructions
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Ask yourself how things can be different and better in your organization to refine your vision. Spend some time thinking through your vision. Leaders require change and change requires a vision. Develop your vision to the point where you can explain it in less than five minutes using no more than a napkin and a pen. This means that your vision for change can be easily understood and repeated by your followers. Give them the ability to own the vision.
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Pour yourself into relationships. The main difference between a manager and a leader is that a manager forces compliance with authority whereas a leader encourages compliance through relationships. Find the most teachable and open people and spend extended time with them explaining your vision in depth. They will allow you to gain more followers by repeating your vision.
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Work alongside your followers. A manager will assign a task that he generally would not be willing to do himself, but a leader will inspire his followers by doing the same jobs elbow-to-elbow with his followers. Work with your followers and be open to their advice on how to do the job. Often the person doing the work is best equipped to refine that task, and having a leader ask advice will encourage the follower to work harder.
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Communicate at every step of the process. There is no such thing as too much communication when it comes to leadership. Followers can become discontented when they feel as if they don't know what's going on and that they don't have a say in the direction of the group. Lead with transparency by allowing all of your decisions to be fully communicated with your organization. This will inspire trust and loyalty from your followers.
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Build relationships through laughter. Having fun together with your followers allows you to show that you value and trust them, so they are more willing to value and trust you. Teams are built around a common vision, but they are cemented through relationships. Having fun with your team allows you to speed the process of building relationships.
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Tips & Warnings
Leading takes time. You might fail many times before you learn what works best with your team and your skills.
Request rather than command to show that you recognize the need for relationships.
References
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