Monday, January 29, 2007

Staying in Line

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"Inventories can be managed,
but people must be led."
~ H. Ross Perot

"You do not lead by hitting people over
the head - that's assault, not leadership."
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
FOLLOW THE LEADER!

We've all heard it before: "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" So much emphasis is put on leadership, but before we learn to lead, we must learn how to follow. Remember the fire drills back in grade school? The most efficient and safe way to get the students out of the building was for all of them to learn the plan and to follow the teacher out of the classroom in single file. Works the same way in nature, if you just look at a mother leading her ducklings to or from the water's edge.

By following a good example, we learn how to achieve success. Once we've crafted our own methods of reaching our goals, we're finally ready to show others the way. Ralph Nader has stated that he always starts with "the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." Like a tightly run ship, the best chance for success happens when everyone on board is capable of taking the helm.

Followers become leaders through education and encouragement, not by taking orders. A great and beloved manager exerts leadership through influence, not authority. Recently, our colleague Joe Klock (joeklock.com) suggested that managers should envision each of their team members wearing a sign in large letters - MMFI - which stand for "Make Me Feel Important." Reward, praise and encouragement go a long way towards achieving that goal, which in turn makes the manager feel more important, too!

Whether you are a follower or a leader, take your role seriously for the opportunity it provides. You can learn or you can teach, but in the words of John Quincy Adams, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

posted by The Office Grapevine at 12:11 AM  

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