I was talking with a group of leaders this past week. We were talking about the differences between titles, actions and what leaders can do to create followers.
It occurred to me that personally I’d like to retire the term “followers.” To me this connotation assumes that a person needs to follow what I am doing. This is different from being inspired by something I’m doing that ignites potential in them that they already have.
I hope we as leaders can focus more on building communities and ecosystems. This shifts the focus to unlocking potential and co-creating conditions for a person’s gifts and talents to come alive.
Instead of having followers we could have leaders with high character. That by the way we led or lived it sparked something inside someone else. This is the essence of what some might call a catalyst.
It reminds me of my grandfather who I belovedly called “Poppy.” He is the man who truly inspired me to become healthier and ignited my own 50 pound weight loss after playing college football.
He ran into his 80s and was eating ice milk (healthy ice cream) in the early 90s but most importantly he was in community with people at the YMCA and was always having fun.
He never approached me when I was a bigger guy with concerns about my health…he just kept inviting me into things he was doing like the Y or going on a jog and I would always have fun.
I was always so energized by his presence.
I’m not sure what happened but one day it just clicked and I moved past of my struggle to run a mile and just kept running and ultimately built habits that have kept me in a much healthier place for the last 20 years.
I think my grandfather was the essence of what I’m trying to describe here…A true catalyst creates sustainable change by building the right conditions or in essence having someone see what they’re capable of…
Sometimes that does take stopping to really see somebody and then inviting them into something you might be doing. If you are “seeing” them you will have plenty of space for them to grow but if you want them to “follow you” it’s likely it will generate frustration.
On Instagram I wish I could change the button that says “follow” to “grow with” or “navigate life with.”
Over the years what I’ve also noticed is that great success for certain people in their methodology or way of leading can also go to their heads and then it begins to be “the way to be” or “the way to create or live life.” Let’s be clear I have done this sometimes too.
At the root of this is a deficit based mentality that if somebody does it differently it is actually not as good. I believe this is pumped into us in our western based society but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Too many people are pulling on fear and shame versus a person’s innate strengths and abilities.
Of course in teams and organizations, it helps if people are aligned and heading in the same direction towards a common goal with some key principles on how they plan to get there. This why we have core values.
With clear values yes people benefit from role clarity but no one is technically “following” anyone else. They are just “creating” together.
For me I want to continue co-creating ecosystems and communities of people who see each other, honor their creativity and act with their innate courage. Oh ya and have a lot of fun!
I can tell that after all these years Poppy for sure was just trying to create the right conditions around me. He didn’t care if I ran like him or went to the Y. He just wanted me to be happy and see and be my best.
I think that is when I get moved by his memory.
That by bringing my gifts and honoring my own humanity I will be honoring him.
I now “see” what he was about.
