There should only be one point guard on a basketball team.  If a team is nothing but point guards, that team is due for a losing season. When everyone wants to lead and no one wants to follow, the team is in trouble.

Likewise, when nobody plays point guard and everyone is content to be a role player, that team will suffer as well.  Great teams need people who know how and are willing to both lead and follow.

As individuals on a team, we must realize that sometimes it is appropriate to step back and let someone else lead.  We should understand that sometimes our most important role on a team is to be the best follower we can be. 

Too Proud to Follow

There are moments when leaders need to follow.  Personally, this is hard for me.  In my early years, this was a battle with my ego.

I often felt:

• If I’m not leading at the moment, people will think less of my abilities.
• I am really good at leading, therefore I should be sure that is what I am doing at every opportunity.
• The current leader is not doing it the way I would do it, so I should step in and correct the situation.

The arrogance of those statements astonishes me now. What I didn’t realize at those moments was that another leader was not needed, a world class follower was.  

Being a Good Follower

You can be a leader by following well.  If you are reading this and are wondering how you can put yourself in a position to be a leader in the future, my answer is to first be a good follower.

Good followers:

• Do what needs to be done without being asked.
• Are selfless and offer to help others.
• Encourage others instead of berating them.
• Support the leader’s decisions in public and in private. (as long as there is not a moral issue to address)
• Speak the truth to the leader when it can truly make the leader or the team better.
• Maintain a positive attitude in all circumstances.
• Recognize it is okay to let other people be in charge.

Read through those descriptions again and see if they don’t describe a good leader as well.  There is very little difference.

When the most capable or most naturally gifted person on the team puts aside her pride to allow another person to lead, she takes another step closer to being a better leader herself.

The time will come when she must step forward for the good of the team.  Her time spent becoming a good follower will prepare her for that role.  Her teammates will follow her because she has already demonstrated what a good follower does.

The Bottom Line

Good followers let other people lead and do not feel insecure doing it.  When someone has the Humility to do that, they are developing a Habit of Character that will make others want to follow their example.

Real leaders do not need a title to influence others.  They do it through their behaviors.  How a person acts, whether they are a leader or a follower, will determine the level of influence that person has.

To be a Leader of Character you must be influencing others towards something positive. Leaders of Character have influence whether they are leading or following at any particular moment. 

When a team has Leaders of Character who are prepared to follow when it’s appropriate, that team will dominate year after year. That dominance will continue because everyone knows what it means to be a good follower and a good leader.  

There will never be a lack of point guards or role players. Following well prepares us for leading well.  

Question:

When is following hardest for you?