The Colonel once shared a hard leadership truth with me when he said, “Sometimes those who most need to be led are the ones who are least inclined to follow. Ya gotta find a way to make it matter to them.”
While it is a normal and natural instinct to surround yourself with a team that thinks, believes, produces, and responds the way you do, it’s not necessarily a great leadership characteristic. Great leaders know that differing perspectives, philosophies, and process opinions create opportunities for growth and greater productivity. Differing opinions can provide fuel for the development and expansion of ideas not previously experienced.
Although it may seem easier to surround yourself with like-minded people, it is absolutely possible to effectively lead and build relationships with those who have different personality styles, communication characteristics, and generational experiences. Significant leaders can lead even the most adversarial of individuals.
Leading those who don’t want to be led simply requires a more intense focus on understanding their needs, wants and desires. “Because I said so” will never achieve the desired result. Instead, put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out why the desired outcome would matter to them, and focus on that reasoning. Find common ground by listening and determining what makes them tick. Figure out what gets them revved up, and then find a way to incorporate that into the process.
While a leader’s objective is to replace themselves, it should never be to clone themselves. Only by harnessing individual strengths can the whole team work together for the organization’s greater good. This is best accomplished by respecting and guiding individual talents, skills, inventiveness, and opinions, not by stifling them.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
