October 31, 2022  

Leadership? How about Follower-ship First? | WT #26

Darren Smith

Leadership, Weekly TRUTH

There are many books available on Leadership, but have you seen one on Follower-ship? You’ve heard the old saying “You have to learn to follow before you learn to lead.” But how do you practice following? Here are three suggested steps.
  1. Practice listening. Simply repeating back what someone else said to them is a way to practice.
  2. Reflect. Think about what the other person said, even if it’s a short pause before replying to them. This small adjustment will pay-off, at least with your relationship with the other person.
  3. Ask God what you are to do. You don’t always have to lead, even if that is your formal or informal title or role. The best leaders are skillful at mixing-in some following.
Lastly, learning to follow others develops one trait that is crucial for an effective leader: humility.

This article was last modified on October 10, 2022 .

 Previous
Next

About the author 

Darren Smith

Darren Smith is Co-Founder of the Authentic Leadership Institute. He is a native Texan and a graduate of Dallas Jesuit and Texas A&M University. Over the past 25 years, Darren has visited 35 countries and led 100 strategy programs. He and his wife have five children.

Tags

You may also like

Whatever Happens Next, There Will Be No Regrets | WT #164

A principled decision doesn’t guarantee an easy outcome. It guarantees something different: the ability to look back without regret. Mark Rios’s choice to renegotiate the gray contract cost him time, margin, and certainty—but it gave him peace. Success is what happens to you. Peace is what happens in you. In Week 14 of the Path to Greatness, discover why the true return on a principled decision isn’t always found on the balance sheet.

Read More

The Upper-Right Quadrant | WT #163

The best decisions aren’t simply the most profitable, fastest, or easiest. They are the ones that honor human dignity while advancing the common good. In Week 13 of the Path to Greatness, explore the upper-right quadrant of the PDM Dignity Chart—the place where principled leaders make decisions that serve both people and collective flourishing.

Read More