Scripture

“The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following.” (Proverbs 14:28)

Thought

Are people following you? Or are they merely following the position you have? Do you have an audience because of your leadership, or do you have an audience because your title in the organization requires people to listen to what you say?

If you didn’t have the title or authority would you still be a trusted leader people are drawn to?

Real influence may not be measured on the org chart. Leadership dependent on titles and positions is counterfeit.

How does a leader build a following? A leader builds a following by earning trust. Trust is the way forward. A leader slowly earns trust by proving their competence and their character.

People have to believe their leader is competent - not perfect, but certainly knows what they’re doing. People have to believe they can trust their leader to be an individual of high-character.

Nothing breaks trust as quickly as a lack of competence and a lack of character.

It’s not your charisma that will gain the following. Not your pure genius or intelligence. Not your sense of drive or ambition. Not your ability to sound smart or have all the answers.

At the end of the day what will determine if people are following you is the thousands of minuscule moments in which you earned their trust by way of your character and competence. How you entered the room. How you handled conflict. How you dealt with failure. How you treat your spouse and children outside of work.

They will report to your title but they’ll follow you for your character and your competence.

Call to Action

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