3 practical ways to be the leader people want to follow | 2-minute video

You’re a leader. But are you a leader people want to follow?

Sounds like a critical question. Even calls for some soul-searching. But we have some help here to ensure you are a leader people want to follow.

Being put in a leadership position doesn’t automatically mean employees will follow you. In fact, quite the opposite could be true: Many employees resent their new leader. Some employees are plainly disinclined to be led anywhere by anyone.

Tough to be a leader people want to follow

And we aren’t going to tell you it’s easy to be a leader people will follow: A Gallup study found just 10% of people are natural born leaders. Another 20% can catch on to the role quickly.

Fortunately, we have some experts here who can help us all become better at leadership.

Click, watch and listen for more details on how you can — or train front-line managers to — become a leader people want to follow.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

You’ve heard that people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.

And research proves it: Fifty-seven percent of employees have left a job because of their manager, a DDI study found.

So that begs the question: What makes them stay? It’s good bosses – leaders people want to actually follow.

Now, how can you be that kind of leader? And how can you help your front-line managers become leaders with a loyal following?

For one, stay grounded. Steve Paskoff, CEO of ELI, shares a personal anecdote on how that can happen.

Paskoff: My first job — I was telling another client last week — was selling, of all things, women’s shoes. The person who hired me had me understand that when you work in that shoe store — whether you’re the chief running the store or the lowly high school kid who’s coming in on Friday nights and Saturdays — you have got to put the stock back in line. How did he make that clear? He did it. I watched him. And I said, ‘I have to jump up and do it too.’

Maggie Smith, Senior VP at Traliant says the best leadership comes with direction.

Smith: You really need to make sure you’re investing in your managers because a lot of times — and we’ve all seen it — someone gets promoted because they’ve been with the company a long time and they’re good at what they do. But they’ve never managed anyone. And we’re like, ‘Here you go, now you get to manage and lead a team.’ But we don’t talk to them about what that looks like. 

Back to Steve Paskoff, who believes talking is just a start …

Paskoff: Talk engages, action changes. And talking about it is great, but it’s just not enough. Leaders have got to do the things like talking to individuals, getting other people’s opinions and not thinking they always have the right answers because they don’t

So leaders that people want to follow aren’t just born. It takes a conscious effort. That includes being able to:

• Jump in. Never be above pitching in or doing the work you assign employees.
• Train. Offer continual leadership training with a revolving list of topics. And be a student of it.
• Talk and act. Get employees’ insight and feedback more often. Act on their ideas.

Good leadership habits start early and are constantly evolving. Great leaders never stand still.