I am excited to be speaking in Atlanta, Georgia with a number of top performers in my field at the Human Capital Institute (HCI) Workforce Planning and Talent Strategy Conference 2016! I have been researching the theory of "Followership," and developed and launched the first curriculum in the workplace with incredible results! Most literature is focused around making a case for "Followership," however, my focus was to create a curriculum and provide evidence to support the case. The successes were creating a culture of development, lowering turnover to 3% for all participants, and increasing engagement. The return on investment for this project in one year was greater than $150k or 12:1, and is strategically designed as a principle component in succession planning for long-term organization development.
I will be looking to publish within the next year, and am also reviewing other venues to present the success of Followership.
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We’ve all heard the old adage: “possession is nine-tenths of the law.” Meaning that ownership is easier to maintain once one has possession of something and that it is difficult to enforce if one does not. Although the saying might not have any literal and/or practical utility in many of today’s situations, there is something to be said about (the perception of) possession. If we perceive that one possesses something, we assume that they own it and it may be difficult to prove otherwise. Likewise, if one does not possess something we often discredit the likeliness of them actually owning it.
So let’s talk about disposition... and specifically how one possesses it. By definition disposition is one’s prevailing tendency, one’s usual mood or temperament. Possessing disposition is possessing one’s own facilities, having control of your temper, your mood, your (re)actions and your character. This has a first-impression aspect to it, but it goes much more in depth and is longer lasting. It's part of our individual brands, (people do notice!) people know and remember us based on our mood, our tendencies, and our disposition. Even without any other "leadership strengths," a person who possesses a favorable disposition will gain more followers than a loathed "leader." Think about the people who you consider to be good leaders…The people that come to mind are most likely charismatic, compassionate, diligent, thoughtful or enthusiastic. These “good leaders” have a disposition that is consistent, favorable and attractive, they are disciplined and captivating in their own way. But if one does not possess “disposition,” they very quickly lose their chances of being labeled as a “good leader.” For example, if you see someone lose their temper or behave in ways that are unflattering, you likely don’t think of them as a leader. And even if someone was known as a leader, they can quickly and easily ruin that reputation with a few disagreeable words or actions. Consequently, it is easy to misinterpret someone’s nice demeanor and charisma for being a “good leader.” Thanks to Dale Carnegie, it's widely known what traits gain trust and are inherent in leadership. This is why good salespeople generally act in ways that are consistent with "good leadership" because they know that people will generally trust and eventually follow (or buy-in). Many of us have been burned by someone who has learned to manipulate people by using these traits. (In fact, some people are catching on to this so much so that anyone with an overly compassionate or enthusiastic personality is perceived suspicious.) But I digress. Disposition is largely dependent upon the situation, one's default disposition might be affected by something like a natural disaster or an emergency. My mother used to say, “Everyone is a perfect parent, until they have kids.” That tells me that although we all have really good intentions and a great plan, our circumstances plays a huge role in the volatility and outcome of our situation (research situational leadership and behavioral sciences for more on this). My point is that it’s easy to think of one’s self as patient and understanding… but it’s much more difficult to act as a patient and understanding “leader” when having a kicking-and-screaming “situation” to act upon. So while it's very easy to theoretically master being a "good leader," it's incredibly more difficult to practice it in one's every day. I challenge you to reflect on your ideal disposition and consider how you would like others to perceive you. If you're disciplined and act consistently in ways that support that image, and you do this habitually even when no one's looking. Then weather you plan to build or simply reinforce your "good leader" reputation, your actions will soon have others noticing. Its true... little, seemingly insignificant everyday happenings have the power to change our lives tremendously. We all remember that one person who smiled at us when we were having a horrible day, or the random act of kindness that we witnessed on the street. When you think about it, we've all undoubtedly impacted someones life without knowing it. This short Ted Talk explains what I'm talking about. Now you could call these happenings "everyday leadership" or you could just say that they are a meaningful interaction. These "meaningful interactions" can happen by pure statistics (eventually something will stick with someone) or they can be intentional such as a lending a helping hand to someone in need. No matter what you call it, these happenings make you feel warm inside and their story deserves to be told.
But what if I told you that the "everyday leader" is not the person you think it is.What if the "everyday leader" is the "follower" who recognized and gave thanks to the "leader". This Ted Talk wouldn't exist if the girl didn't tell Drew how much his leadership meant to her, in fact he doesn't even remember the meaningful interaction. He would have never known that he was a "leader," she empowered him to get on stage and tell this story. Her leadership was so great that she allowed herself to follow his lead and let him believe that his 10 seconds of influence led to her marriage (any married person will tell you that it takes much more than a "10 second hero" to make a marriage work). I believe this is called followership ... it is leadership, but in a way that is much more powerful, much more engaging and much more intentional than a freaky happenstance that statistically led to a random but great result. Sometimes leadership isn't about trying to make sparks happen or trying to change someones life, sometimes it's about simply following and giving thanks to the everyday happenings that change yours. Tell people how much they mean to you and empower them to be a leader. In turn you will be the leader that changes peoples life and gets them on stage (whatever their stage is) to empower others to be leaders. A good leader knows when to follow. So in a world full of "everyday leaders"... be an "everyday follower." Why is there a gap between our dreams and the projects we actually complete? Why is it that "50%"... "4 out of 5"... "9 out of 10" (whatever statistics you like) of businesses fail?... Although there are multiple answers to these questions and many of which have truth in them, here's some advice from a Brazilian entrepreneur Bel Pesce. 1. Believe in overnight success……your "overnight success story" is a result of everything you have done up to that point 2. Believe someone else has the answers for you……people want to help out, but you are ultimately accountable for decisions made 3. Decide to settle when growth is guaranteed……hard work got you to where you are, why would anything else be acceptable 4. Believe the fault is someone else’s……be responsible to your dreams, it’s nobody else's responsibility to make them happen 5. Believe that the only things that matter are the dreams themselves……life is never about the result, it’s about the journey Were all taught about leadership......and we're told that we should all be leaders. If you think about it, that would be really ineffective. Leadership is over-glorified, because it's really the first follower who turns a regular person into a leader. Without that first follower, there would be just a loner with a dream.
Consider a flock of geese, it takes only a single goose (leader) to start flying and the flock will follow. Then at some point, the leader will get tired and move to the back of the flock and a follower becomes the new leader. The flock could not exist without followers because each of the followers is a leader that knows when to follow. There is some science behind this making flight much easier for the flock as a whole but not for the leader, this is why they take turns being the leader. Just like in life, sometimes being the "leader" is much more difficult... So if you really care about leadership, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow. What's the common theme among all the logos pictured above?The companies represented all have an image... a story that's told with their logo alone. We instantly recognize the companies, their respective industries, their value propositions and what they stand for. How can a logo tell so much about a company?
Branding... Branding isn't just for "big business", in fact it's not just for businesses at all. We're all branded, some people's brand image is more established and clear, and others not so much. Think about your friends... who do you call when you need personal advice, who do you call when you get lost and need directions, who do you call when you need to cut loose on Friday night? Every family has "the funny-guy" or someone who is straight-laced, were all remembered by our brand. If you aren't sure what your "brand" is, take a strengths test, think about your hobbies/interests, consider your profession. If you're really brave, ask your family/friends. You have the power to determine your own brand. But remember, great companies reinforce their brand image in every way possible, with every interaction and through all platforms of communication. Their social media presence is aligned with TV/radio, aligned with the physical/customer experience. Consistency and clarity are key. Think about how you're remembered, what does this say about your "brand image"? How do you communicate your "brand" in your daily life? Is your message clear and consistent? |
A note from the authors:
Leadership isn't a title and it isn't a merit badge, its a choice. The choice of how you act, how you communicate and how you treat others. Hopefully this blog has some useful thoughts that you can use. ArchivesCategories |