You’re Leading: Is Anyone Following?

I was taken aback by the title of another blog: “You are a leader: is it hard to get people to follow?” My negative reaction comes from my deep belief that someone is not a leader if no one is following. A job title does not make someone a leader. Not even if the title is CEO or President or Senior Pastor.

James Kouzes and Barry Posner are blunt in their assessment: “A person with no constituents is not a leader.” They go on to say, “A leader-constituent relationship that’s characterized by fear and distrust will never, ever produce anything of lasting value” (The Leadership Challenge).  Fear and distrust are common by-products when leaders are over-reliant on positional authority. 

But it’s not enough to state the obvious about leaders and constituents. (I’ll use “constituents” rather than “followers” for the rest of this post.) It’s more important to consider what kind of constituents we’d want to have. The ideal constituents are:

• Ready. They don’t have to be cajoled or coerced. They are ready to jump in, and they do so with a simple invitation. 
• Enthusiastic. One reason they are ready is because they believe deeply in the organization and its mission. They refer to the mission in first person, plural language – it’s our mission, not someone else’s.
• Independent. A constituent may not be the leader, but that doesn’t mean they are meek. The best ones have a strong sense of self-identity and agency. They choose to follow, and they will also push back if they disagree with a decision. 
• Trusting. This is not blind faith, but trust that has been earned over time by the leader. These constituents give the benefit of the doubt when things are not going as planned. 

Perhaps you’d name different characteristics for an ideal constituent. Or perhaps you agree and just wish that your constituents had these qualities. What causes someone to be ready, enthusiastic, independent, and trusting? 

A great starting point is to be the kind of leader that you’d want to follow.  Be a person of integrity, whose consistency of words and actions earns trust. Don’t get defensive when someone disagrees with you, but instead be grateful for their independent thoughts. Bring your own energy into every leadership conversation because you have clarity and passion for the mission. And show that you are ready to roll up your sleeves and do the work. 

Before you leave this post, consider your constituents. Do they have these qualities? If they do, be thankful. If not, what steps can you take to change the relationship?