Sunday, August 23, 2015

A leader worthy of being followed -



It is my ever present goal to be a leader worth of being followed. Ever since I heard that challenge and encouragement from speaker and author Andy Stanley, it has gotten me thinking out loud about what that means and how I can do that better? One way is to identify and observe leaders whom I feel have mastered how to do that.


Recently I attended a birthday celebration for a former member of congress my wife used to work. He was a member of congress for many years and during the course of the evening I was struck how generations of staffers flocked to attend this event. Near the end of the evening these individuals who are now incredibly successful in their own right (many are now consultants, campaign professionals, and even a US congressman) were seated in a circle around him and were telling stories of both times of challenge and triumph. I was so impressed by how they shared what he did and how that made them better, that I started to take notes on my phone.


Just in listening and, often laughing, here is what this leader so worthy of being followed did:



  • He built his DREAM TEAM – surrounding himself with the right people that helped him realize his goal of winning his congressional seat
  • He INVESTED in his people – obviously corrected where needed (the funniest stories there) but also cared about their lives
  • He was able to IDENTIFY TALENT – these were incredibly accomplished people that went on to do even bigger things
  • He ENCOURAGED people to be their BEST – and from the sound of it, they were the kind of people that wanted to anyway
  • He raised up FUTURE LEADERS – as stated, everyone there had even bigger careers after he retired


All of this comes right out of the sound and time-tested leadership principles taught by John Maxwell. They are just that universal!

Most impressive, you would think that a gentleman of such a distinguished career would just sit back and enjoy his grandchildren. Not this guy! During the evening he talked about how he could use the wire frame of political action (that both US political parties have in common) to move beyond politics and focus on significance. To use local political organizations and volunteers to solve common (and often non-political) problems at the most local level. This illustrates one more thing that leaders worth following do . . . they don't stop doing it!

As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com





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