INTRODUCTION
My wife, Leslie, and I were at the grocery store not long ago, standing in the checkout line behind an elderly woman with six cans of Progresso minestrone soup in her cart—and nothing else.
“I'm sorry,” the cashier said. “We have a limit. You can only get four.”
Overhearing the conversation, Leslie spoke up: “Don't worry, I'll buy the other two for her.”
Immediately, the man behind us said loudly, “Count me in for
four more!”
Leslie pointed to the woman's nearly empty shopping cart. “Are you sure that's all you need? We can help.”
As a group of us made our way to the paper goods aisle, another shopper was just taking the last packages of toilet paper.
“Could we have one of those?” Leslie asked.
“I'm sorry,” the shopper said. “I need this for my family.”
“It's not for us.” Leslie pointed to the elderly woman standing at the end of the aisle. “It's for her.”
Immediately, the shopper reached into her cart. “Of course. Take both—I have enough at home.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, stories like this played out all over the world—shared interest defeating self-interest.
To foster shared interest, leaders need to create followership. After all, no leader wants to charge up the mountain, only to discover halfway up that no one is following. That requires an emotional connection on a very real and human level in every interaction—and especially in a crisis. To do that, ...
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