The Busy Leader's Handbook

3To Be a Good Leader, First Learn to Be a Good Follower

Most great leaders begin their careers as great followers. They learn to be great leaders by following great leaders. And the flip side is also crucial: the best leaders know how to inspire and engage followers over the long haul. In fact, the most important quality a leader can possess is the ability to captivate, inspire, and motivate followers over time. I say “over time” because it can be easy for a charismatic leader to get followers excited about a vision once. Sustaining their willingness to follow you is a whole other ball game.

I recently shared a stage with Admiral Harry Harris, who is currently the US ambassador to South Korea. It was a great experience. It made me really think about what it means to lead and what it means to follow.

My first thought was that military leadership must be easier than private sector leadership because people have to do what commanders say. But then I realized it’s not that easy. Not only do military leaders have unique disadvantages (for example, they can’t select or deselect talent), they must build engaged followers who are in very difficult situations.

What’s more, in a military or a business setting, just because people do what you say doesn’t mean you’ll end up with the results you want. People might “follow orders” but they can do it with half a heart and zero focus on the results. When you’re a really good leader, you know how to engage people in a way that makes them ...