Are You a Good Follower?

Last time, I shared with you my leadership philosophy, using the three words I use to describe it:  inspirational, inclusive, learner.  If you didn’t get to see that, you can read it here: What is Your Leadership Philosophy?

In this post, I describe the ideal follower.  The three words I would use are best self, learner and collaborator. 

Using the word collaborator is more appropriate than follower, because that is how I view members of my team. Collaboration is the act of coming together to achieve a goal or solve a problem.  It requires the willingness to engage in healthy conflict and an exchange of ideas to get to the best answer and the best solution. 

I look for collaborators who share my love of learning, who approach work and collaboration with an open mind and an open heart, willing to learn from others as well as their own experiences.  I feel it's important to go through life with open eyes, making observations that will make you better.  And I admire this quality in others, while realizing that not everyone is committed to their own growth and development. 

Also, I prefer collaborators who are willing and able to bring the best version of themselves to any project, to the job, to the problem at hand or the on-going challenges we face.  When you have a team of collaborators aspiring to this, the sky is the limit for what you can accomplish and solve. 

All those people – each with their unique perspective and expertise, based on experiences and training – coming together for a common purpose is a beautiful thing.  I’ve personally been part of teams like this and once you have that experience, you crave to replicate it over and over again.

This is one of the reasons I do the work that I do.  I love helping business leaders build cohesive, fully engaged, high performing teams.

And I am privileged to have access to the best tools and programs in the world to guide that process.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what makes a great team member, follower or collaborator in just three words.  Just reply to this email or post a comment below.

And, if you want to discuss your current team and your specific challenges in more detail, click here to schedule time for us to talk about it.  I promise to provide at least one action you can take to improve your team.