For Argument sakes – “Leader only breed followers, they don’t allow of other leaders to emerge, they like it this way “.
Think about it , reflect back at some of the leaders you have worked with , how many of them were indeed more interested in establishing themselves as a leader in the process encouraging and breeding followers.
- Do leaders get into the act of self preservation ?
- Do they rub off their own insecurities to others ?
- Do they not allow for creating of leaders under them?
Let’s examine this ,Leaders like to stay in front of the pack, direct, guide, support remove hindrances. From the leader’s point of view it is clear sailing because the pack is behind him/her and in front is only the challenge of the project. A good leader knows the pack will support him/her when the going gets rough.
It’s a bigger problem, a larger problem of the society. Society breeds followers not leaders. Social rules are a test for a person to be a leader. It’s the unspoken rules which determines his/her aptitude and ultimately points him/her in a suitable and accepted direction. Out of the masses only few true leaders emerge. A person with charisma, strength and determination who is willing to grasp the challenge at hand and wrestle it into submission. [Is trait theory indeed the first act of filtration?].
So how does it become counterintuitive ?
Let’s face it, a leader cannot expand his/her experience without some risk. Each forward step includes the possibility of one step back so, striving for success also contains the possibility of failure. This is not a bad thing, it is only in the experience one may achieve at all. Success or failure each contains wisdom in their discovery. The incentive to try lies in the reward of the result.
Many people will not try anything new like change jobs or move to a new location or even make a decision on their own. They are followers and they like the comfort in letting someone else make the choices for them. The world needs followers to do the tedious functions that would bore leaders. Creative people can’t follow they have to step out ahead of the pack and take control. They strive for the challenge and excitement of the project. They are the movers and shakers that are innovative in nature and unsettled in demeanor. They strive for change and are at home with challenge.
And it is from them that a new leader emerges.
The Solution
You see, the real problem with a leader doing all the work is that you preclude the development of others. So, the solution to this problem is to select multiple people to take on the detailed technical tasks that you previously completed. Then, using all of your proper delegation skills: teach the skill, assign the task, and follow-up with the task completion, providing corrections as necessary.
What’s happening is that 1) you aren’t performing the task, 2) you are still involved in the work activity, 3) someone is growing and developing, and 4) you are leading.
What should be then a leader’s measure of success: – Rather than being evaluated on what you personally accomplish, as a leader you should be evaluated on the number of future leaders you develop. This will have a positive impact on the amount your team accomplishes and the way people feel about working with you as a leader will exponentially improve.
So are you a leader who breeds followers or do you breed leaders ??
"When my words Matter !!" 