10 Simple Ways to Be That Leader Everyone Wants to Follow
. You want to believe you’re easy to follow. Who doesn’t? Are you?
Before you shout, “Of course!”… take a breath. Because when I’ve been out speaking, training, and coaching leaders like you, I’ve been asking one question on repeat:
“Is your boss easy to follow?”
Guess what happens next?
First, I get the knowing laugh. You know the one—the laugh that says, “Ha! If only.”
Then, I get the real talk—sometimes colorful, sometimes a little tragic, and always telling.
One of my favorite responses came from a senior manager who said:
“Trying to follow my boss is like building IKEA furniture. You leave the meeting thinking you’ve got this… but you get back to your desk, and suddenly you’ve got ten extra screws and the instructions are in Swedish.”
Here’s the thing—most leaders (even the good ones) make following harder than it needs to be.
But you don’t have to.
If you’ve ever wondered, “How can I make life easier for my team?”—this is your moment.
10 Ways to Be a Leader Who’s Easy to Follow
1. Be crystal clear
Be sure your team knows the number one mission so well they can say it in their sleep.
Sure you’ve got competing goals, but be crystal clear on how your team can change the game, and what you need them to do to make that happen.
I recently ran into a guy who once worked on my sales team at Verizon Wireless. He was now working at a small company where I was consulting. He heard I was there, so he walked into a leadership program I was doing to say “Hi.” We had just finished talking about being crystal clear, so I took a chance.
“Eric, back when we worked together, what was the most import goal?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Winning in the SMB space. Everyone needs to get ‘All Aboard’ (which meant everyone needed to sell at least five lines a month)” 6 years and another company later, he remembered.
Be that clear and you will be successful.
2. Be approachable
You want them to understand what needs to be done. If they don’t, they’ll spend a lot of time guessing. Be super approachable.
3. Be a teacher
Get in there and show them what to do. You’ll be seen as credible and helpful. Don’t do it for them. Be a teacher.
4. Be forgiving
People want to follow human beings who understand they’re human too. Be forgiving.
5. Be human
Show a little vulnerability. Be clear you don’t have all the answers. People find it easy to emulate people, not rock stars.
6. Be knowledgeable
For goodness sake, know what you’re doing. And if you don’t, do everything you can to get smarter on the subject matter quickly. It’s hard to follow a bozo.
7. Be connected
The easiest to follow leaders are those who remove roadblocks by phoning a friend. Have lots of genuine connections to call when your team is need.
8. Be trustworthy
Do what you say. Every time.
9. Be a role model
10. ?
Number 10 is up to you. What would you add?
If you haven’t done this recently this is a great “Courageous Question” to ask your team.
“What’s one thing I could that I do to be easier to follow?”
And then be open when she tells about the “damn spreadsheet” that’s making them crazy or the meetings that suck the life out of them.
Great leaders are easy to follow. Be that guy or gal.
P.S. I’m here to help. Please call 443-750-1249 for a free consultation on how we can make this your team’s best year ever.
This is number five in the series on 7 Ways to Beat the Competition. If you’re just tuning in…
3. Pay attention to your own game.
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