To Be a Good Leader, You Need to be a Good Follower

The great leaders in history, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Steve Jobs to Eric Thomas are powerful forces to bring a change in the world. John C. Maxwell, the guru on leadership, is a perfect example of someone who has constantly serviced his fellow-men to innovate, empower and influence others to act in meaningful ways and ultimately change the world. Do you know what’s common about these great leaders? They lead from behind. 

 Being a good follower doesn’t make you a “sheep”! - Barbara Kellerman 

 The people I work with are smart! They have their own vision. They bring their ideas. They are flexible. They need to be empowered. They are not the ones who will work when someone at their front leads the charge with trumpets blaring and they (the troops) following up behind. No, I can never be a good leader then. 

 I’ve accepted the fact that I need to be a good follower in order to be an effective leader. 

 There is a story I can relate to when discussing leading from behind. Parent pigeons built a comfortable nest for their baby pigeons when they are too small. They want their babies to sit in comfort. But when parent pigeon feel it’s time for their babies to leave the nest and fly, they begin removing the soft feathers and other soft materials to provide them the comfort. So, when the babies get bigger, they feel uncomfortable in that same nest and eventually learn to fly. This is leading from behind. As a leader, we can stand back and make our people begin to fly (take the lead). By doing so, we will make them more creative and productive. 

I’m sure you understand well now. This is why the famous quote, "To lead people, walk behind them," continues to hold true as a source of inspiration for many leaders.

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We’ve all worked on teams. Understand that to be a good leader, you have to be a good follower. How?

1. You need to be aware of what it takes to “bring them along”.
2. You need to fully understand your team and what motivates them.
3. You need to learn how to get along with diplomacy. 
4. You need to encourage them and motivate along the process.
5. You need to acknowledge the hard work of others and celebrate their efforts. 
6. You need to understand how to work with people to bring out the best in them.

This is why so many of today’s successful leaders not only encourage delegation of important decisions but also make a habit of letting others lead the teams they serve on. 

You need to get out of their way.

Perhaps the concept is not so new… but not many of us are following it. I see this simply means to give each individual a sense of empowerment and responsibility. And by doing this, you're not leading the charge from the front, you’re leading from behind.

If you have ideas that you feel like sharing, share them in the comments section below. 

Author Bio:

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and organizations. You’ll find him saying, “Let’s go!” instead of “Go!” many times a day. That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more. For more inspirational articles follow him on Linkedin.

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