He That Thinketh He Leadeth

The business environment comprises of two distinct types of people:

Leaders and followers. 

It is generally accepted that leaders are far more valuable

than followers.  They get the corner office, the get the massive salary, and they get the humongous bonus at the end of the year. 

But then again, we can’t all lead, someone has to follow.  

As John Maxwell writes in one of his books,

“He that thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him

is only taking a walk.”

In this article, I will share the fundamental differences

between leaders and followers.  The characteristics discussed

below are not exhaustive.  There is a lot more to leadership

than can be covered by one short article.

As you read, consider your own conduct,

are you a leader or more of a follower?

Leaders initiate action. 

They take it upon themselves to make things happen. 

Leaders don’t wait around waiting for something to happen.

Leaders take charge.  They are not afraid to pick up the phone

and make contact.

Followers on the other hand, sit around and wait for someone

else to take the first step.  Followers often lack the courage to take risks, they prefer to be safe.  Followers prefer to chill in the comfort zone.  These are the people who wait passively for the phone to ring.

Planning is a major contributor to increased productivity. 

When you plan your day before it begins,

you are able to hit the ground running. 

You stand a better chance of getting more

of the important things done. 

Leaders have mastered the art of meticulous planning. 

They appreciate that nothing happens exactly according to plan,

hence they make provision for any possible deviations and setbacks.

Followers just start their day on auto-pilot. 

They spiral out of control with no concept of what needs

to be done, how everything fits in together,

or what the purpose of the task at hand is. 

Whereas Leaders fill their calendars with priorities,

followers fill their calendar with requests. 

They are the people pleasers who are always trying

to accommodate everyone else but themselves. 

Followers major in minor things. 

These people are out of control.

They always finish assignments at the last minute

because they spend most of their time

doing urgent, yet unimportant work.

Problems are a part of life. 

Problems are the reason we are all in business. 

People buy solutions to their problems. 

Therefore, the better you are at anticipating problems

and creating solutions to overcome these problems,

the more successful you are likely to be in business. 

Leaders understand this concept and practice it religiously. 

Their initiative and impeccable planning allows them time

to think with clarity and come up with innovative solutions,

solutions for which customers are willing to pay top dollar.

Our reactionary brothers and sisters are always in over their head. 

As a result, they have no time to think. 

They are always running around trying to meet tomorrow’s deadline.  That is probably why they aren’t so well paid. 

They know this, but they don’t change their actions. 

They would rather gather around and have a pity-party:

complaining, whining, moaning, instead of finding solutions

and making money.

The difference between spending and investing is in the returns. 

Time spent is time used on unproductive conversations:

gossiping, complaining and whining. Whereas time invested

is time used to learn something, to improve a skill,

for example, spending time with a mentor or coach

who will groom you and help you become a better person. 

Followers would rather go out clubbing or play video games

than read a book.  Leaders attend networking events

and seminars to grow their influence and their knowledge.

Not to say followers are less dignified than leaders,

but I would still recommend that we adopt some

of the positive traits of leadership.   

It will help us build better businesses and be better people.