This is a common and continuous experience throughout a working career, yet we all continue to come across those who do not understand it, with some even denying that it’s true:
“Followers expect to be given things, leaders must earn them.”
If you’re a follower there is absolutely nothing wrong with looking to leadership to provide what you need to do your job. For a leader it is a fatal mistake to expect anything to be given by the team without significant time and investment.
Everything that your followers give you in terms of trust and respect must be earned, it is never given, and it is not a right. Some may argue that a basic level of respect should be given to all in the workplace, and I absolutely agree - it should! It would be nice if this “should” was a “will”, but it is most certainly not. The fact is, no-one owes anyone, anything. It is a harsh lesson in leadership for many, and it continues to be a lesson I live by.
The most successful leaders in this day and age will be servant leaders who will give unselfishly to their followers. Lacking this behavior will cause painful turnover and low morale. It’s not a new concept by any means, it’s just the only concept that can be ultimately successful.
Our blog contains plenty of posts on tools & techniques that can be implemented in order to achieve trust & respect from a team. To summarize some additional concepts that help support a leader’s standing among a team:
Servant leader - Leaders eat last, rank doesn’t mean privilege, take responsibility first
Ego control - Give the team credit for successes, take personal ownership for mistakes. It’s no longer about what you know, and what you can do, but what your team can do
Build rapport - Get to know your team, let them get to know you. Don’t hide all vulnerabilities as this hides what you truly care about. People appreciate passion and heart
Listen - Truly listen to your people. This does not mean giving them everything they want and succumbing to unrealistic requests, it means truly listening to their concerns and acting upon them. This may mean responding with thought, as opposed to simply dismissing “silly” ideas
Lead by example - Do not expect behavior from your people that you do not exhibit yourself
Accountability - Accountability goes both ways. There are no exceptions to this
John Maxwell’s book “The 5 Levels of Leadership” is a great road map for the path an individual will travel as they transition from being a “positional” leader (a boss), to truly making a lasting impact as an inspirational leader. I love how the book talks about the highest level of leadership and the impact one can make once there:
“The goal in life is not to live forever. The goal in life is to create something that does.”
I wish I found this book before I was 10 years into my career. It was like reading the story of my progression in each new location - only I had to learn by trial and error and endure many painful failures along the way.
https://amzn.to/2SQUp0y - John Maxwell - The 5 Levels of Leadership
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I’m sure a lot of you will see parallels between what this book explains, and your work/life experiences. We look forward to hearing feedback on this book and your experiences!