Shortly after I arrived in Venezuela as a 19-year-old to start my 2-years of mission service, I went through several tough months. I was the low guy on the totem pole. I had no seniority and no leadership position.
While complaining about this in a letter to my mother, she responded with great counsel. The startup-applicable-essence of what she said was: “Leadership opportunities will come and go, but you will always need to be a great follower.”
That counsel sunk in deep that year as I learned to follow, rather than to lead. Sure enough, 18 months later I was a leader within our Venezuelan mission, and while that was great too, now looking back I cherish those early months of followership as a pivotal period in my life.
It is amazing how much of training, instruction, schooling, and accolades go to leaders. Without taking anything away from the importance of developing leadership skills, I believe that we can all become better followers too. Becoming a better follower is something that can be worked at just as hard as becoming a great leader.
At any given point in time, we may be following in some areas of life and leading in others. In any case, while on vacation I find myself thinking about both sides of the coin in my life.
Having strong followership skills reinforces a leader’s ability to pierce and inspire the hearts and minds of those that follow.
What are your thoughts on followership?
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