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Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers

When I first became an acquistions editor, I took a proposal for a book on leadership to our Pub Board. (This is the group in a publishing company that determines what gets published and what doesn’t.) The consensus was that the book was not commercially viable. The market was just too small.

Ducks Following Their Mother - Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/istock-dk, Image #14793457

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/istock-dk

However, in 1998 everything changed. Thomas Nelson published the The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. I was the VP of Marketing at that time. My job was to help make the book a success.

Fortunately, John not only wrote a great book, but he worked tirelessly to help promote it. The result? The book hit the New York Times list and has now sold almost two million copies. It is still in Amazon’s top 1,000 books.

Since that time an entire industry has sprung up around the topic of leadership. It includes books, magazines, blogs, conferences, and even graduate degrees from major universities. Apparently, the market is vast. Why? Because nearly everyone sees him or herself as a leader.

But where are the followers?

I contend that if you want to be a great leader, you must first become a great follower. Although it is rarely discussed, this is where almost all of history’s greatest leaders got their start.

  • Joshua followed Moses for more than forty years before he led the children of Israel into the promised land.
  • Elisha served Elijah for ten years before he took up his master’s mantle and went on to perform even more miracles.
  • The Apostle Peter followed Jesus for three years—and made a lot of mistakes—before he and his fellow-disciples “turned the world upside down” (see Acts 17:6).

Though I don’t have time to develop it here, I would likewise contend that history’s worst leaders never learned to follow. As a result, they became tyrants, making the lives of their own followers miserable.

So what does a great follower look like? I would suggest great followers share at least five characteristics:

  1. They are clear. They understand their role. You can’t be a good follower unless you have clearly identified the leader. While you may be a leader in your own realm, everyone has a boss—including you. Great followers not only accept this fact but embrace it.
  2. They are obedient. While obedience may be a politically incorrect concept, it is essential for organizational effectiveness. No one should be allowed to give orders who can’t obey orders. This is how great leaders model to their own followers the standards of acceptable behavior.
  3. They are servants. This is crucial. Great followers are observant. They notice what needs to be done to help the leader accomplish his or her goals. Then they do it—joyfully, without grumbling or complaining.
  4. They are humble. Great followers don’t make it about them. They are humble. They shine the light on the leader. They make their own boss look good—especially in front of his or her boss.
  5. They are loyal. I have written on this before. Great followers never speak ill of their boss in public. This doesn’t mean they can’t disagree or even criticize. It just means that they don’t do it in public. Great followers understand that public loyalty leads to private influence.

I feel like I have only scratched the surface. If you want to be a great leader, begin by asking, “How can I be a better follower?” or “How can I make make my boss more successful?”

Question: What else does it take to be a great follower? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Posted on April 18, 2011

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  • Brent Trickett

    I would add that followers need to be aligned as well. I work in a non profit and I find that there are some who like to use organizations for their own gain. They may say they are committed to the same ideals or vision but in reality they are building something completely different. A good follower needs to be honest about why they are there and what they wish to get out of the relationship.

  • Anonymous

    I believe that “they are clear” is a challenge to both the leader and the follower to have a continued conversation on what that means. As with any relationship the leader/follower one is dynamic, changing often. To make it as effective as possible the dialog around the relationship ‘guardrails’ must continually be discussed.

    Thanks for another great post.

  • http://profiles.google.com/revedblonski Ed Blonski

    Great point about being a follower! This is something I cover in “Leadership from the Biggest Brother” http://www.truemen.org/leadership.html

  • Bwenman

    A couple of years ago my daughter, who was at that time a Senior in High School, was writing an essay on Leadership. I have always “pushed” her to be more of a leader because I always thought she had potential, but not as much confidence. She wrote a great essay on why great leaders need to know when to follow. It was awesome and I learned that we can learn more from our children than they can learn from us sometimes! She has since grown into a variety of leadership positions and she remains humble, thoughtful and inclusive. I wish more leaders understood this concept!

    • Karl Mealor

      Have you thought about having her post it somewhere online? I’d love to read it!

  • http://www.theanimusproject.com Jamie O’Donoghue

    One of my favorite books on ‘followership’ is ‘In Search of Timothy’ by Tony Cooke. The opening chapter will change anyone’s perspective on leadership and how important it is to be an excellent follower. I won’t ruin the punch but if you could read that opening chapter you’d know what I mean.

    • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Thanks for the recommendation. I am intrigued!

      • http://www.theanimusproject.com Jamie O’Donoghue

        You’re welcome. I’d be interested to hear what you think if you get a chance to read it.

  • http://LiveIntentionally.org Paul Steinbrueck

    Mike, I think it’s also critical for leaders to understand the leader-follower dynamic from the follower’s perspective so they can incorporate that into their leadership. As a follower you have some leaders who communicate well and others who don’t. You have some leaders who appreciate their followers and others who don’t. You have some who cast a clear vision and others who don’t. You see the various ways leaders include their followers in their decision making process. Then as a leader you can try to avoid the mistakes you’ve seen in other leader and try to emulate their good leadership qualities.

  • http://twitter.com/brandonavance brandon avance

    True about Joshua, Elisha and Peter. What about the true leaders like Abraham, Father of Faith, Moses, Following God’s call, and Paul, author of half the NT. The leaders of those guys.

    Abe, Moses and Paul weren’t following ANYONE but God. Rebels, in their own right. They would do anything to answer GOD’S call and no one else’s.

    I agree a leader must follow, the ONLY one worth following and a good mentor’s always nice. Thanks for a great article!! Excited to read more of your blog.

  • http://www.DonnaWilsonsWorld.com DLWilsonsWorld

    I love this! We must lead by our own example, & get involved with our team. The Bible gives us so many great examples & lessons. Talking without “walking the walk” is useless. Roll up your sleeves, get in the trenches & get dirty. That’s how to inspire; give of yourself, teach by “doing the work” & make positive changes in our World!

  • http://www.irunurun.com Travis Dommert

    Expanding on the important point of LOYALTY…

    I would suggest that great followers not only tote the party line, they also persevere…i.e. loyalty isn’t terribly impressive if it is situational or short-lived. Loyalty through the tough times speaks VOLUMES.

    We work with a great group here in Atlanta called Leaders Lyceum; they teach that Elevated Leadership comes from (challenge and contradiction over time) x perseverance. Without perseverance, we don’t grow.

    Persevering as a leader is tough and admirable, but persevering as a *follower* is monumentally tougher, takes faith, and shows, builds, and tests character.

  • Joe Lalonde

    There’s some great insights there! I love the idea that great leaders are/were followers at one point. And it makes sense. I see a lot of young people not wanting to take this step and follow someone. I think they see it as a weakness or it’s not a respectable spot. But with following someone, you can gain wisdom.

    • http://www.jeffrandleman.com Jeff Randleman

      Tons of application here for youth ministry!

  • http://www.happinesshereblog.blogspot.com Jennifer

    Thank you so much for this article. We never – ever – hear about the importance of being a good follower, unless it’s in reference to following Jesus. =) Sharing this right now.

  • http://profiles.google.com/audrakrell Audra Krell

    I had a fantastic woman mentor once who always said that “no one can lead a grumbler”. So, to be a good follower, you must not be a grumbler. This is true in marriage as well, a husband cannot lead effectively if his wife is grumbling all the time.

  • Keith

    Great point….I always say, “You start with FOLLOWSHIP before you enter into LEADERSHIP.”

    Keith Johnson has a free “The Art of turning Dreams into Realty” eBook and a one hour seminar download. Free Confidence Building Resources

  • Deanna

    Thank you for your wise words on leadership.

    I believe, great followers keep their hope in the Lord and not people.

    While I want to be a great follower to my earthly boss, I try to remember to keep the pressure off and not expect her or him to be my personal “god’ who can advance me.

    Zech 4:6 stays on my computer and reminds me that my success, ultimately will come by God’s spirit.

  • http://twitter.com/BrettVaden Brett Vaden

    I am a leader in my church, but it’s felt very lonely. I know that’s partly my fault, having sectioned myself apart from others; not showing the real me out of a sense of propriety and of wanting to be a good example. I sense from this post that I need to be a better follower (of my fellow leaders and mentors) by opening myself up for their eyes to see.

  • http://twitter.com/ConnieMcKnight Connie McKnight

    Michael, I absolutely agree. Once you find a great leader that you want to emulate, you need to show him/her the respect they deserve. You do this by following the points you outlined as the characteristics.

    You have to be willing to learn and this means asking questions.

    I think it’s easy to be a good follower when you admire the leader and get your ego out of the way.

    Connie

  • Guest

    Perhaps, this could be under #4: A great follower would not be afraid to introduce his/her shining subordinates to the boss. They should keep the boss’ best interest in mind about who could be helpful to the boss. If someone is insecure to do so, they may not be leader material anyways. Kind of like John the Baptist.

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  • Otai samuel

    I believe a rightful leader, has his footsteps identical to his followers, so long as he is moving forwards towards a rightful cause. Sam Otai

  • Shaintscruffy

    i don’t have an answer for the question but i can at least confirm your suspicions with evidence from the construction world… i’ve been a carpenter for eighteen years and worked for six bosses, which in construction terms is an aberration. The trend is to move on from job to job. To the point that the mortgage companies, though they like to see you established in one job for at least five years when applying for a loan, when it comes to construction they just want to see that you’ve been in only one trade… the number of different companies in your wake doesn’t matter. There are few guys that can stick it out in one place. This is partly because of the shiftlessness of many of my brethren that have pooled in the trades but it is also due, i think, largely because of the immense egos of the most of the men who start their own companies. With the exception of only one that i can remember, they were all men who just couldn’t work for someone else. They had to have things their own way and weren’t particularly inclined to share.

    Which i guess leads me to an answer to the question of what other characteristics make good followers…
    Longsuffering. One should have a firm belief that his treasures are earned and stored elsewhere so that when they don’t receive them here they aren’t too disappointed.

  • http://www.saltandsparkle.com Nicky Cahill

    Hello Michael,

    What a powerful post – I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, as I have been enjoying reading all your posts. You have so many wonderful things to share, and I am grateful, and thankful that you chose to share them here on your blog. I especially am looking forward to working through your ‘Life Plan’ outline. As I began to feel that I should write a blog, I found your posts very helpful, and interesting, in that they gave me much food for thought. After much prayer, and preparation, I launched my blog at the beginning of this month, and I am very excited about it, and writing each day.

    Having been a successful leader in many things throughout my academic career. A few years after graduation, I could not understand – with the arrogance of youth – why I wasn’t in a position of leadership. I’d had wonderful prophetic words that said I was a leader, I had been on leadership training courses, but yet, I wasn’t a leader yet, and I wondered why.

    Gently, ever so quietly, God began to pinpoint things in my life that needed to be explored, giving me room, and grace to grow. As I began to explore these things I realised that everywhere He lead me, was one step closer to the position of leadership he had for me. He was nurturing me, watering and tending to my life, as I pushed through many things, like the bulb that reaches for the light before blooming into flower; I began to understand that God was teaching me to be the leader he wants me to be, one with grace and humility, one with understanding, and wisdom – one who doesn’t make rash decisions, one who is humble, and knows how to be a servant. Your post really encouraged me and I felt God speaking to me through it, showing me how far He has taken me over the past number of years, and I felt his encouragement for what has to come. Thank you.

    Interestingly, as I pondered your words, I came across this talk on Ted, which I thought you might find interesting.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal.html

    Thank you Michael.

    Nicky
    http://www.saltandsparkle.com

    • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Thanks. I will take a look at this video. I have really enjoyed the TED videos I have watch in the past.

      • Karl Mealor

        Have you ever attended one live? I’ve always wondered what that would be like.

        • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

          No, I have not. However, I have been tempted.

    • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

      Nicky,

      It’s taken a few days to watch the video but appreciate the link. One line stands out to me and was worth my time. General McChrystal shared a lesson he learned after failure and being encouraged afterward by his commanding officer. “Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.”

      A leader wants to create an atmosphere where people are encouraged to try, fail, get up, and try again.

      Thanks,
      Tom

  • http://helengullett.com HMGullett

    I believe that God has called us to be godly leaders and shine the light on Jesus as the Ultimate Leader. I am blessed with your post. Would you mind if I translate it into Indonesian and share with my friends?

    • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Please feel free to do so.

  • http://www.danieldecker.net Daniel Decker

    So true. That’s why I have always love the concept of the “Second Chair” leader. Second Chair leaders follow the leader, support the leader, learn from the leader and do whatever they can to help make the leader better… because they know that in doing so they are not only helping the organization in which they lead but also helping themselves become better leaders as well.

  • Christina Parker

    I believe a good follower needs to be teachable. Sometimes leaders can have the attitude that they know it all. This makes them pompous and ineffective as a leader. Teachablility means the person is open to more ideas and has the courage to embrace these new concepts even at the risk of failure.

    • Karl Mealor

      Totally agree!

  • Karl Mealor

    Love this. I’ve always tried to be a good follower, sometimes to a fault. Thank God for those under my authority who model exactly what you discuss. Some of them are already great leaders; some are headed in that direction.

    Great post. Thanks.

  • http://www.100memoirs.wordpress.com shirleyhs

    Here’s another TED talk that really explains the crucial role of the follower: http://www.clicker.com/web/ted-talks/derek-sivers–how-to-start-a-movement-827287/

    You may have seen the video of one man dancing that turns into a whole hillside of dancers? The video explains how impossible it would have been without the courageous leader and his equally courageous first follower.

    • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

      In three minutes, the video showed the importance of second fiddle and the momentum gained because of a single follower. Thanks for sharing.

    • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Yes, I loved that video.

  • http://www.johngallagherblog.com John Gallagher

    Mike,

    I think great followers are teachable. They know they don’t have all the answers.

  • raphiepg

    Teachable… good followers like good leaders must be teachable… willing to learn from anyone not ever feeling that they have arrived.

  • http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    Michael:
    Sorry, I am so late commenting and reading, but the holiday intervened. This is a fantastic post. And, I would love to see your research on the development of tyrants (now that you are retired :-) ). It goes along with a posting on YouTube I saw about Leadership, Movements, and First Followers. (I have nothing to do with its development; just passing this along… http://bit.ly/i1NvUD) I think Leadership and First Followers have a great deal in common- and that’s how movements get started. The difference between a leader and a first follower is that the leader has articulated the idea clearly first- and can be the first follower next time just as easily.
    Thanks for the wonderful lesson, as usual.

  • http://twitter.com/BobEwoldt Robert Ewoldt

    I think one of the qualities of a leader (that kind of goes long with humility) is teachability. Leaders know the areas in which they aren’t experts, and readily accept instruction in those areas.

  • dave

    I usually do not comment on blog post, but I enjoyed this post very much. It resonated with me because as an ex-pastor I has seen a lack of focus on following in the church and everything focused on leading. It reminded my of a book by my friend Rusty (Dr. Ricketson) called FollowerFirst. A good book that tries to elevate follower and leader into a dance of equal proportion.

    • http://michaelhyatt.com Michael Hyatt

      Yes, I think we need some balance here. Jesus mostly talked about being a disciple—or follower.

  • http://www.learning-leadership.com Learningleadership

    According to me it is very essential part of the leadership only the Great Followers are Best Leaders.

  • http://www.jeffrandleman.com Jeff Randleman

    It may have already been stated, but I think being a team player is crucial to being a great follower.

    Great stuff here. Thanks for posting!

  • http://ashleyscwalls.wordpress.com Ashleyscwalls

    I defintely agree that leaders need need to know when to follow. Part of that is doing research. By simply researching what has been done before you, you are following and preparing to lead.

    • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

      You make a solid and wise point in referencing research. By doing the research, a person recognizes he or she needs to follow sound advice, to absorb the thoughts and ideas of others, and to process and hold on to that which is helpful. Good observation.

  • Darrell Darnauer

    This is so basic but it’s incredibly profound! Jesus submitted to His Father. How much more do we need to follow and honor our leaders and then as we learn to follow them so we might become effective leaders by following them. When we serve we can then become servant leaders. My book will be titled “The Greatest Rule To Great Leadership – Follow First”
    Thank you Michael!
    - Darrell Darnauer

  • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

    I listened to “A Minute with Maxwell” this morning and John spoke about “adaptability.” His comments illustrate a leader who fellows. Here’s the link for a wonderful illustration of a man who speaks on leadership but also follows:

    http://johnmaxwellteam.com/adaptability/

  • http://jornadadeumlider.com Fernando Almeida

    Any Christian Leader knows that he/she is ultimately a follower of Jesus. A leader who cannot follow cannot be trusted as a reliable person to be followed. One needs to set the example for our followers.

  • Adonis Lenzy

    I totally agree on the importance of being a great follower. Before Jesus ever said, “Go ye into all the world”, He first said, “Follow Me”.

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  • http://twitter.com/SarahM58 Sarah M

    My husband and I are currently living with our kids at my parents house while we get back on our feet.  My husband has learned to become my leader, but he also follows the rules laid out by my folks and works to some degree under my father.  I have noticed a renewed humility and servant-hood in his leadership.  http://www.keepmarriagealive.com/saving-my-marriage/

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000675855246 Ma Elena Santos

    I love to read and share materials like this. Thank you 

  • http://www.facebook.com/genebads Eugene Bade

    “ A good leader understand the challenges and is prepared to stand up and make a difference!”

  • Sarah

    It helps when the followers have enough leadership of their own to get to work on time. 

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  • Jelud1

    moses is said to have been the most humblest men in the bible. But god made him become a leader for one of the greatest migrations of all time

  • Donm

    I see that the comments on this post mostly go back about 7 months.  Sorry I missed it back then as I had something relevant to say.  So I put in in a book called Follow to Lead, the 7 principles to being a great follower.  It will amplify much of what has been stated here and it is directly in line with what Michael has also posted.
    I hope you are not offended by a promotion of the book; I see so much interest in the topic that I wish all of you could share it.

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