Strategic Leadership Starts with Followers
As a leader, once you have developed a clear focus and roadmap- it's time to shift focus to those you lead. Strategic leadership is a deliberate choice to create your own process based on your unique activities and values to influence others toward a common goal.
Let's talk about the others, those you are hoping to lead towards common goals. Leaders may set a direction, but the others, the followers, create a movement.
As a leader, you need to be easy to follow and to embrace your followers to start a movement. How well do you know those you hope to lead?
When I ask this question, I am not asking what you know about their family, where they live, or their hobbies outside of work. How well do you know them personally-professionally?
What do you know about their:
Workstyle- their daily routines and processes
Values- what is important to them
Followership- how they partner and interact with you as a leader
Even if you think you know them really well- we recommend you take an audit. When are you making assumptions? What may be a good conversation to have to get to know your team members more?
Once you get to know your team members you need to build trust to develop active and constructive partnership. This type of partnership is needed to mobilize teams to achieve strategic goals. Partnership starts with trust.
To develop trust:
Practice being vulnerable before you ask for vulnerability.
Ask open-ended and curious questions.
Practice active listening.
Techniques to Start a Movement
Check out Dancing Guy.
Learn About the Followers
Even leadership research and writing focuses too much on the leaders when there is power in followership. Check out these resources and authors to learn more.
How well do you know your team members?
Use this list as a template and starting place to develop your own list of questions to build stronger relationships and get to know your team members.
Build Trust with Your Team
Try practicing a vulnerability loop, active listening, and open/ curious questions.
Do you have questions about leadership coaching?
About Talent Praxis
Praxis is bridging the gap between theory and action.
We help companies and leaders practice proven academic management theories in the workplace to build results-driven teams.
Management and leadership are not skills you learn once but rather ongoing practices to achieve results.
Talent Praxis offers one-on-one leadership coaching, training in people management, and consulting in performance management to help leaders and companies develop their own strategic praxis.
Ready to learn more?
