Effective leadership is a hot topic in our culture. We debate whether leaders are born or are made. We think of leaders as people with big personalities and lots of charisma. Or that leaders are people who lead large groups in highly visible circumstances and affect change in our world or country or city. And honestly, we think of leaders as people that we follow. But most of us don’t think of ourselves as leaders.
The truth is, however, that the world is full of people who lead every day in much smaller circles and extremely important ways. If these “small scale leaders” did not lead, the world as we know it would not be able to function.
So how do you know if you fall into this category we call “leader”?
I believe everyone leads someone. The key is to find out who is following you.
One of the things I enjoy doing on Harmony Farms is moving the cows from one pasture to another. Because I’m around them on a regular basis and because I periodically feed them cubes, (cubes are basically candy for cows) they like to see me coming and are ready and willing to follow me. And so all I have to do is get a bucket, fill it with cubes, shake it, and here they come.
Recently, I moved them over a quarter of a mile from one pasture, through two other pastures and into a set of pens in about 10 minutes. I was surprised at how easy it was to do. It worked because they were willing to follow me.
So, who’s following you? Someone is. And that makes you a leader. One definition of a leader is someone that has followers. John Maxwell, a leadership guru, famously said, “He that thinketh he leadeth but hath no followers is only taking a walk!”
When you look behind you, who is following? Maybe it’s your kids or your grandkids. Maybe it is your employees. A team you coach. Volunteers in an organization you’ve accepted leadership in. Maybe it’s the children in a class you teach. Maybe it’s just a group of friends who look to you for leadership.
Someone is following you, and whether it’s two or three or thirty or forty or hundreds, that makes you a leader. Leadership isn’t based solely on age or title or position. Those things don’t make you a leader. But having followers does.
So when you look over your shoulder, who’s following you? If someone is there you are a leader. Accept that leadership. Step into that leadership. Lead them well. Lead them to greener pastures. And go ahead and give them some candy every once in a while!
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, remembering that as members of the same body you are called to live in harmony, and never forget to be thankful for what God has done for you.
Colossians 3:15
Good thoughts!
Very inspirational.