Here’s Why Others Will Follow You

Some teams will follow you because they’re getting paid to.
Others will follow you because they LOVE to.

The question is… I wonder why your team follows YOU?

During this year I’ve met many bright, insightful leaders.
Some charismatic and ebullient. Others quieter and more considered.

All wrestling with the challenges of Leadership.

The consistent message they’ve left with me is that ‘This Leadership Thing’ is demanding. Complex. Sometimes Messy.
(Which nicely sums up us homo sapiens!)

Look, and you’ll find countless volumes about how to become… ‘A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING’.

I’ll pen just one observation today.

With some leaders, their life’s work is about ACQUISITION.
Of clients, of leads, of referrals, of staff, of revenue, of AUM, of profit…

(Yep, agreed, essential)

And so, what they seek from their team… is PRODUCTIVITY.

• The team FEELS that this is the driver of their work.
• The team THINKS that their KPIs will lead to emotional fulfilment.
• The team ACTS to keep The Leader constantly happy in the light of those metrics.

Their language is about data and “Client Banks”
They chase the output… while following the person.

Then there’s the leader who thinks and acts as if their work is about CONTRIBUTION.

Oh, they accomplish the commercial results.
But they do so with a different long-term motivation.

They recognise that one reason our species has survived and thrived over millennia is because we invested deeply in our community. We had an innate desire to help Our Tribe in any way we could.

What they now see is that today’s culture is pushing us progressively towards more self-focused satisfaction and reward.

Meanwhile leaders whose North Star guidance is CONTRIBUTION… direct their primary attention towards Their Tribe – their team and their clients. The Tribe’s development, wellbeing and flourishing.

The team then FEELS that they are part of something more meaningful and profound… than meeting revenue goals.

The team OBSERVES that they’re given support in magnifying their genius… beyond their Job Spec. They grow!

The team ACTS to develop a culture and conduit… which contributes to the welfare of others – starting with their Client Families.

You might have noticed…
I sometimes mention ‘The Neuroscience’ in my posts and blogs.

The neuroscience and physiology underlying this Contribution behaviour is well documented. Acting like this releases more Oxytocin in us, which acts on how well we manage relationships… connection. And the empathetic way in which we view the world.

I’m not saying that one approach is wrong… and the other right.
But they are very, very different. A difference you can ‘smell’.

Yes, there are layers of perspectives, knowledge, skills and behaviour that contribute to “A Leader Worth Following”. This is just one.

ACQUISITION? CONTRIBUTION?
Which floats your boat?

At Soul Millionaire we love to set aside (1-2-1, Pro Bono) time to really LISTEN to Leaders. Helping them to think about their complex role.

They tell us that we help them think More Clearly, More Courageously, More Creatively.

You can book your private Listening Time – your 1-hour Discovery Conversation – right here.

No pressure. Just time to catch your breath. And think about What Matters Most to you.