Leaders Lead, Great Leaders Have Followers

I was just reading an email I received from Mac Anderson, Founder of The Simple Truths, and he was talking about his book The Essence of Leadership. Mac is an inspirational speaker so of course his book talks about how Great Leaders focus on how others feel; “The really hard stuff is the soft stuff…it’s building a culture around the feelings of your customers and your employees.”

I happen to agree with him on this point. Great leaders do get us to follow with our emotions. They inspire us to follow with great words that paints a picture in our mind and triggers emotions. In addition, they demonstrate that they are prepared to act on their words. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were great orators who were also prepared to back up their words with actions. But most of all, they used words that fit our times and our collective feelings. They knew that what they said is what we truly wanted in our hearts. That is why they were great, they answered the question of 'what's in it for me'. For me this makes the difference between a Leader and a Leader with Followers.

Let me explain this in another way, you can be a leader who leads by fear and intimidation. Perhaps General Patton of World War Two and his Command of the US Army Tank Division, is the best example of a leader without followers. His troops did as they were trained and commanded to do. They may have respected him for his toughness and successes but I suspect they also hated him as much or more. Whereas a great leader does not need to command, we will follow that person to the ends of the earth because we love and respect them so much.

As you build your business ask yourself what kind of leader you are and what kind of leader you want to be. Both can create significant results but one might allow you to sleep better at night.