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Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!

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Your only 3 choices for when something important needs doing

I used to be a compulsive leader – couldn’t stop myself from jumping in – and it took quite a bit of development (and some tough-love from a couple of really good bosses) before I properly learnt how to be a good follower too.

But that quote in the image above sets out the only three choices anyway, doesn’t it?

1. If something important needs doing and you look around and no-one else has stepped-up, that’s your signal to lead.

2. If someone has taken the lead and is doing something that matters to you, get on board and follow their lead. You can discuss exact compass headings once you’re under way.

3. In all other circumstances, make sure you’re not in the way of what needs to happen, regardless of who is leading.

BTW the quote in that image is often attributed to Thomas Paine, but there’s no evidence of that and the language doesn’t seem quite right to me for an English-born, 18th Century philosopher and Founding-father. So I don’t really know who said it first, I just like it.

What about you:

Do you know when to lead?

Do you know how to follow?

Do you know how to tell if you’re actually in the way; part of the problem and not part of the solution?

Please leave a comment below if they’re still open at the time of reading, or tweet me @nickrobcoach

Lead, follow, or get out of the way - your only 3 choices for when something important needs doing Click To Tweet

Paradoxes

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Courage follows fear – and four other important things that happen the wrong way around

Is it just me who sometimes wishes that each of these things would work the other way around for a change?

Courage follows Fear

You don’t usually get the courageous feeling until after you’ve done the scary thing, although the time that you might most want it is before.

Vitality comes from expending Energy

If you want to be more energetic, you’ve got to be regularly spending your energy on something sensible, not saving it.

Leadership follows Followership

Commitment, involvement, collaboration, ego-management, and credibility are all things best learnt first without the added need to lead.

Faith comes before Trust

If you want to be able to trust people, you’ve first got to give them the chance to be trusted – and that takes a leap of faith.

Wisdom comes after Experience

If you’re anything like me, then you need to fall flat on your face quite a lot before understanding how stuff really works. And even then, I still learn more and am surprised by how things actually turn out compared to how I thought they would.

As usual, please leave me a comment if they’re still open below, or tweet me @NickRobCoach. What other things seem to paradoxically happen the wrong way around?