Are You A Leader Or A Follower?

Leadership is the art of persuasionthe act of motivating people to do more than they ever thought possible in pursuit of a greater good.

It has nothing to do with your title.

It has nothing to do with authority or seniority.

Youre not a leader just because you have people reporting to you. And you dont suddenly become a leader once you reach a certain pay grade.

A true leader influences others to be their best. Leadership is about social influence, not positional power.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

You dont even need to have people reporting to you to be a leader. A janitor can influence people and lead just as a CEO can.

Likewise, anyone can become a follower, even while holding a leadership position.

If youre a slave to the status quo, lack vision, or dont motivate everyone around you to be their absolute best, then youre a follower. Even if you happen to have a leadership title, people wont follow you when they see those behaviors present.

A senior executive who creates unnecessary bureaucracy, locks himself in his office, and fails to interact with others in any meaningful way is no more a leader than an antisocial software engineer who refuses to do anything but write code.

Of course, the real question isare you a leader or a follower?

To find out, you need to ask yourself some very important questions. Think carefully as you respond to each one, and youll soon know for certain.

1. Do you go above and beyond?

Followers do their jobs, and thats it. No matter how good they may be at those jobs, it rarely occurs to them to go beyond their basic functions. Leaders , on the other hand, see their job descriptions as the bare minimumthe foundation upon which they build greatness. Leaders see their real role as adding value, and they add it whenever and wherever they see an opportunity.

2. Are you confident?

Followers see the talents and accomplishments of other people as a threat. Leaders see those same talents and accomplishments as an asset. Leaders want to make things better, and theyll take help anywhere they can find it. Leaders are true team players. They arent afraid to admit that they need other people to be strong where theyre weak.

3. Are you optimistic?

Followers see the limitations inherent in any given situation; leaders see the possibilities. When things go wrong, leaders dont dwell on how bad things are. Theyre too busy trying to make things better.

4. Are you open to change?

Followers are content to stick with the safety of the status quo. They see change as frightening and troublesome. Leaders are maximizers who see opportunity in change. Because leaders want constant improvement, theyre never afraid to ask, Whats next?

5. Are you decisive?

Followers often hesitate to act, out of fear that theyll do the wrong thing. Leaders arent afraid to make a call, even when theyre not sure if its the right one. Theyd rather make a decision and be wrong than suffer from the paralysis of indecision.

Leaders would rather make a decision and be wrong than suffer from the paralysis of indecision.

6. Are you accountable?

When mistakes are made, followers are quick to blame circumstances and other people. Leaders, on the other hand, are quick to accept accountability for their actions. They dont worry that admitting fault might make them look bad, because they know that shifting the blame would just make them look worse.

7. Are you unflappable?

Followers often let obstacles and mishaps throw them off course. When something goes wrong, they assume the whole project is doomed. Leaders expect obstacles and love being challenged. They know that even the best-laid plans can run into unexpected problems, so they take problems in stride and stay the course.

8. Are you humble?

Followers are always chasing glory. Leaders are humble. They dont allow any authority they may have to make them feel that they are better than anyone else. As such, they dont hesitate to jump in and do the dirty work when needed, and they wont ask anyone to do anything they wouldnt be willing to do themselves.

9. Are you passionate?

Followers are trapped in the daily grind. They go to work and complete their tasks so that they can go home at the end of the day and resume their real lives. Leaders love what they do and see their work as an important part ofnot a weak substitute forreal life. Their job isnt just what they do; its an important part of who they are.

10. Are you motivated from within?

Followers are only motivated by external factors: the next title, the next raise, the next gain in status. Leaders are internally motivated. They dont work for status or possessions. They are motivated to excel because its who they are. True leaders keep pushing forward even when theres no carrot dangling in front of them.

True leaders keep pushing forward even when theres no carrot dangling in front of them.

11. Do you focus on titles?

Followers care a lot about titles, both their own and those of the people they work with. Theyre very conscious of who outranks whom, because they lack the skill and motivation to create leadership from within. Leaders, on the other hand, focus on what each individual brings to the table, regardless of whats printed on a business card.

12. Are you focused on people?

Followers focus on what they can achieve individually. Leaders are team players, because they know that greatness is a collective feat. A leader is only as good as what he or she can achieve through other people.

A leader is only as good as what he or she can achieve through other people.

13. Are you willing to learn?

Leaders, while confident , know that theyre neither superhuman nor infallible. Theyre not afraid to admit when they dont know something, and theyre willing to learn from anyone who can teach them, whether that person is a subordinate, a peer, or a superior. Followers are too busy trying to prove theyre competent to learn anything from anyone else.

Bringing It All Together

Take another quick look at the questions above. Theres not a single one about title, position, or place on the org chart. Thats because you can have the title and position without being a leader.

You may have worked for someone who fits that description. And you probably have colleagues who serve in leadership roles without a title.

Leadership and followership are mindsets. Theyre completely different ways of looking at the world. One is reactive, and the other is proactive. One is pessimistic; the other is optimistic. Where one sees a to-do list, the other sees possibilities.

So dont wait for the title. Leadership isnt something that anyone can give youyou have to earn it and claim it for yourself.

And please, share your thoughts in the comments section, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Want to learn more from me? Check out my book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 .