The Teacher Becomes the Student -- Followership at it's Finest

I observed an interesting family dynamic in church a few week ago.  The family consisted of a mother, father, and teenage son.  Dad was holding mom's hand and at the same time touching his son's head.  They all seemed to be struggling with something as the mom cried and the teen hung his head and wrung his hands. The father was teary-eyed as well.  I thought, what an awesome example of a strong man and good father holding his family together and supporting them in what seemed to be a time of trouble.  At this point in the service the lights were low, but when the lights came up, I notices a few other things.  The son was well groomed and well dressed.  However, the parents were a bit more unkempt -- torn and wrinkled clothes, dad was unshaken, shoes were muddy.  The teen got up at one point and walked out of the auditorium with a group of other young men.  He seemed to be leading the pack and clearly was no stranger among them.  It was then that I considered a different possibly -- perhaps it was the son who was holding that family together or providing direction that day.  Maybe he brought them to church with him. Perhaps he had been an encouraging force that lead to this moment of family unity, emotion, and sharing.   

That led me to remember that a willingness to follow is just as important and an ability to lead. In fact, authentic leaders are skilled at both. I had a client who told me he always leads and he never followers. However, I contend that if one never follows they miss opportunities to learn from others, and develop tactically and intellectually. Failure to follow means one doesn't recognize that others may be more knowledgeable in certain areas.  The belief that no one else could possibly have the right answers is a fallacy. I cautioned my client that his unwillingness to follow, could mean he'll miss out on the wisdom and experience of others.  

Can you imagine if a marching band refused to follow their band leader -- all of them literally marching to the beat of their own drum. They wouldn't produce a melodious sound or a precision performance.  Likewise, the Miracle on the Hudson could have turned out quite differently if the co-pilot of US Airways flight 1549 was not willing to take direction from Captain Sullenberger.  

Here is what I advise for my client and others who refuse to follow:

• Look for opportunities to learn from others.  
• Purposely seek opinions and input -- a willingness to listen is critical here. 
• Don't be too quick to judge -- sometimes great information and ideas come from unlikely sources.  
• Find a mentor -- being a protege is by definition a following role.  This will help hone those follower-ship skills.

When it's time, the student becomes to teacher;  the leader becomes the follower.  Be open to it.  

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