We know about good leadership. What do we know about good followship?

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A leader is only as good as the people around them. Maybe we need to spend as much time building good followers as we spend building good leaders.

Good followship encompasses:

  1. Humility. It’s not about obedience and compliance. It’s about having a strong voice, being clear and direct, while being humble, teachable, and open to learn.
  2. Service. Choose service over self-interest. Look for ways to encourage others and contribute. Good followers are dedicated to the greater good.
  3. Accountability. Know that how you show up matters. See all blame as a waste of time. Good followship means being able to be counted on.
  4. Engagement. Rather than waiting to be told what to do, good followship means showing initiative and being engaged in their work while supporting others in theirs.
  5. Gratitude. Counter entitlement with appreciation. Avoid bitterness or divisiveness, and maintain a spirit of thankfulness, even in challenging circumstances.

Innovate Cochrane Community Innovation Ecosystem (CIE) Program Graduation Celebration

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At the Innovate Cochrane Community Innovation Ecosystem (CIE) Program Graduation Celebration this past week, I was pleased to present: Inspiring Innovation through the Power of Connection.

Innovate Cochrane is an amazing community-driven non-profit dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs and business leaders in Cochrane, Alberta. They offer events and programs that foster growth, innovation, and collaboration, focusing on building stable, community-oriented businesses and organizations.

It was a pleasure to be part of this fantastic event.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovate-cochrane-ab/

Decisions change your life

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There’s a story about a man waiting in an airport who sees another man returning home from a business trip, enthusiastically greeted by his wife and three children.

The joy, love, and caring was so obvious that the first man asked how long they had been married. When told they were married for twenty years, he replied, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twenty years!”

At this, the family man looked him in the eye, and said something that left him a different person: “Don’t hope, friend… Decide.”

Decisions change your life.

How have your defining moments defined you?

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A participant in my leadership program shared a defining moment that completely changed the trajectory of his life. He was, at one time, a drug addict who had lost it all. His house was about to be foreclosed; his wife and children left him; he was fired from his job; had no money and was about to take his own life.

In one last ditch effort late one night, he called the suicide distress center. When the crisis counsellor answered, he told them about his plan to kill himself. Her response was that her shift was over and asked him to call back in the morning.

“I was so mad at that moment, I decided right there and then I would never again take something that is not mine. My life is not mine. It belongs to some kind of Power greater than me. And it’s not for me to take. I was on the road to the garbage heap and I decided it was time to walk on a new path. I came into recovery and have never looked back.”

We never know what experiences will change us forever. What I do know is that we all have a choice.

What horses can teach us about culture and leadership

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From my time hanging around horses I’ve learned:

  1. Horses don’t care about titles. They don’t care whether you are the CEO or the janitor. What they do care about is your ego. If it’s too big they’ll put you in your place.
  2. It’s all about relationships. If you can’t build a relationship with your horse you won’t get anywhere with them. Horses are highly tuned energetic beings. They can sense your mood within several feet.
  3. We all know the saying that you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. But I have a follow-up question: How can a horse drink if it is not near water in the first place? We make real strides as a team only if we are physically together. Many are upset by the requirement to be in the office five days a week, but we simply cannot build a thriving culture if many of us are working remotely.

Do you really have to be vulnerable to be a leader?

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Yes.

If you want people to trust you, buy into your vision, and engage with you. But know what vulnerability is and what it isn’t.

Vulnerability is not: bringing weakness and problems to your team, lowering your standards, abandoning mental toughness, showy expressions of emotions, or saying everything you think and feel.

Vulnerability is about being open with your team in the words and actions of:

  1. Your Vision. People need to know why the work you are doing is important to you.
  2. Your Values. They need to know what standards you will hold yourself accountable to.
  3. Your Requests. Your team needs to know they are needed and valued for their contribution.
  4. Your Mistakes. No one will think less of you when you admit you are wrong, apologize, and show sincere commitment to do better.
  5. Your Imperfections. No one’s perfect. Be open to see blind spots and be willing to do something about them.
  6. Your Warmth. Take the time to show you care through kindness and genuine interest. If you don’t care, give up the mantle of leadership.
  7. Your Courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s showing people that you are committed to overcome it.