Who’s leading? The leader is the one others are following. And, it changes. So, the leader is the one others are following at that moment.
Are you leading? Only as long as others are following you. If they jump when you jump, you’re leading. If they turn left when you turn left, you’re leading. But if you turn and they keep going straight, you’re out for a walk by yourself.
Net, leaders are defined by their followers, not the other way around.
Leadership is about inspiring, enabling and empowering others to do their absolute best together to realize a meaningful and rewarding shared purpose.
This means it’s not about what you think is inspiring. It’s not about what you think is enabling. It’s not about what you find empowering. It’s about what the others think and find.
The basic delegation model of inspiring direction, enabling resources, empowering authority and credible accountability works.
Inspiring Direction: Objectives/desired results/context/intent – what and why
Enabling Resources: Financial, information, technical or operational, people, time
Empowering Authority to make mission tactical decisions within strategic and operational boundaries/guidelines/intent
Credible Accountability and consequences (standards of performance, time expectations, positive and negative consequences of success and failure)
In terms of making it easy for people to follow you:
Inspiring Direction
Make sure the direction you’re giving people is clear, understood and actually inspiring to your audience both emotionally and logically. You need to win over their hearts and minds. Make sure you’re communicating specifically and listening for resistance to make sure people get it. Make sure your communication fits the social norms of their culture – especially if you’re a new leader.
Enabling Resources
Make sure your followers have the resources they need to follow your direction. If you’re leading over water, make sure to choose a path with stepping stones. If the water is frozen, make sure they have ice skates. Strategy without resources is just a wish list. The point is to get them all the resources they need, not the resources you would need or you think you need.
Chuck Lieppe called me up when I was a brand manager at P&G and he was our division VP. He said, “I believe in what you’re doing and want to invest another $10MM in it. Tell me how.” Enabling resources can be very inspiring.
Empowering Authority
Boundaries are empowering. A clear strategy is freeing. It’s as important for people to be clear on what decisions they cannot make as on what decisions they can make.
Coca-Cola’s Doug Ivester would come to us with ideas and tell us to consider them as input into the decisions we were going to make. Other times he’d remind us that he was the CEO and he was giving us direction that we needed to follow. We knew when we were empowered to think and when we should shut up and do what he told us to do.
Credible Accountability
How many passes did Kansas City Chief’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes complete in the last Superbowl? None. None of his passes were complete until someone else caught them. He was accountable for throwing the ball to the right place at the right time. The receivers were accountable for being in those spots at the right time and catching the ball. Everyone did what they were supposed to do 34 times in the last Superbowl. They built credibility over time by doing that.
Know when to lead and when to follow
In business and in life the lead often changes. Lead with confidence when you are the one most clear on the right direction, resources, authority and accountability.
It takes even more self-confidence to know when others are more equipped to lead. If others know the way forward better than you, follow their lead. If others are better able to assemble the right resources, let them. Know when rational-legal, traditional or charismatic authority is more important, yielding your authority as appropriate. And always deliver on your accountabilities, whether you are leading or following.
Ultimately it matters far less whether you are leading or following at any moment than whether you and your teammates are doing your absolute best together to realize the meaningful and rewarding shared purpose you’ve chosen.
John Hall
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