FOLLOW THE LEADER - Part One

March, 2022

Have you ever taken the time to consider and ask yourself whether you are more of a follower or are you more of a leader? I suspect that you are both, whether you realize it or not.

Being a follower may at first appear to be a not-so-strong, or a definitive word; a word that represents a lack of leadership skills and/or a weak-minded person. Being a follower means completely the opposite. Identifying yourself as a follower means that you have a vision for yourself, that you have recognized characteristics within another person that inspires you and motivates you to be a better person and to develop certain skills -- both internal skills as well as external skills.

Being a follower means that you have intentionally (or perhaps unknowingly) placed yourself in the position to learn. There is absolutely nothing wrong with learning. Being a follower also means that there is a person or persons who you have determined possess characteristics that are admirable and worthy of imitating. This type of learning will eventually raise you to the level of being a leader.

In order to be a good leader, you need to know how to be a good follower. Yes, hit pause to consider that comment. In order to be a good leader, you must first learn how to be a good follower. Why? Because there is a certain position that a person must take in order to be a follower.

• Followers must know how to be submissive, humble, and patient.

• Followers must recognize that there is a great reward by allowing him or herself to take the follower position.

• Followers admit that there are skills they need to develop

• Followers are willing to learn -- they can identify with their own shortcomings

• Followers are hungry! They want to suck in all the information that they can receive

• Followers are also insightful and wise. They know that the road to advancement is an individual, purpose-driven road for them and only them.

• Followers are patient, humble and submission (I do know that I repeated this)

Understand that there is a progressive movement when a person transitions from being a follower to a leader. And there is a lot of information that must be learned and applied both experientially as well as intellectually. Both of these are learned through social interactions and relationships with the external environment, with people, and...by being a follower.

If you are a parent, you are the leader to your children who are your followers. I introduced this concept for a reason. Even though your children are young, imagine them taking on a leadership role without learning how to first follow. What would be their foundation? What would be their point of reference, especially if they find themselves in a challenging situation that required not only thought, but the information that only comes from lessons learned from previous experiences and not-so-pleasant outcomes?

No matter how high your position may be, there is always someone who plays the role of a leader to you. A follower should maintain the mindset that being a follower is a natural part of who you are. With that being stated, make it a point to assess how well you follow those who are leaders to you. It will help you be prepared for a higher-level of leadership and it will also help you to see how much you have matured.

So here are some questions to keep you busy for the month:

• Who do you follow? What type of characteristics do they portray?
• Who is following you? What type of characteristics do you portray?
• What type of characteristics do you feel a good leader should have?

Next month we will discuss being a leader!

Until next month...be a good follower of the leader!

The Spiritual Surgeon

Disclaimer:

The information located on “From the Desk of...” was prepared by the creator and author of the web page and the owner of Awakening Academy & Learning Center. The blogs are based on personal opinions, thoughts and experiences, and are not a reflection of any third party’s views or opinions. The purpose of “From the Desk of...” is to share and, hopefully, educate. It should not be considered as a directive or an order.