What Great Leaders Want

There are many articles and many books written on leadership. Leadership is the buzzword for business seminars across the globe. But in order to be a great leader, we need to learn to become great followers.

Every great leader will agree that they want a team of great leaders around them. But what they also need are leaders who know how to follow him/her, to know what the leader wants to accomplish, to have bought into his/her vision and to be able to lead others to follow his/her objectives. In order to have good leadership skills, you must first be a good follower.  Here are several things you should know about how to follow and what your leader wishes everyone knew.

Loyalty: Loyalty is a word that has been lost in this modern world. People are no longer working for their companies for 30-40 years, going from entry-level to retirement in a single organization. Turn over is high with the average employee changing jobs every 5-6 years. Granted, companies have lost their value to be loyal to their employees, but that doesn't mean employees should answer evil with evil and lose their sense of loyalty to their employers.

I'm not saying that people should stay with a company for decades, especially if there are better opportunities to be had elsewhere. I don't even think corporations themselves would even say that. But what I am saying is that in the time that someone is working for a company, they should practice loyalty as best as they can. If you cannot or will not be loyal while you're in a season of employment, you should find someone or a company you can be loyal to.

Genuine Loyalty: Now let's talk about genuine loyalty, because everyone seems loyal to their boss' face, but is that true loyalty? You can do all the right things and say the right things when certain people are around, but are you loyal when no one's looking? Here's the great thing about being genuinely loyal: it's an internal thing, so out of the heart, all your actions, your words and your work will show what's on the inside. You won't ever have to worry about changing faces or about putting up a front. Sometimes we spend so much energy trying to 'look' loyal that we could have channeled that energy into actually 'being' loyal.

Help: Help your boss become a great leader. I know that's what you think you're doing by merely working for him, but be deliberate about it. Don't be a passive employee. Be one who's aggressive about finding out what your boss' needs are and helping him/her.

How can you help your boss? Here's one way: make up for his weaknesses not exploit them. Often times, employees will see their boss' weaknesses and use that vulnerability to slander them, talk about them behind their back, or even worse, undermine their leadership. Guess what? If you do that to your boss, how do you know people won't do that to you when you become someone's boss? Instead, see his weaknesses and find ways that you can make up for them.

For example, is he constantly forgetting his business cards at meetings? Well, grab a few extra and make sure he has some before he steps into a meeting. Is he out of touch with the staff's needs and issues? Well, be a mediator between him and the staff. Be honest and tell him what's happening. If your true intentions are to help him, he won't take offense. He's thank you for it.

Follow his bad decisions: If your boss has any kind of sense, he'll know when he's screwed up. But instead of letting him hang out there on his own in his own mistake, take some of the brunt of the consequences with him. Believe me, it'll hurt, but it won't hurt you as much as it will hurt him. But if you follow him into his mistakes, the consequences won't be as bad, and your boss will know that he had your loyalty. Honor your boss, even when he makes a mistake. Not everyone bats 100.

Go the extra mile: In a world where eveyone does the bare minimum, be one who stands out and go the extra mile. Don't just do tasks and check them off your list. Help your boss by, not only completing the task, but doing it better or going beyond expectations. Your boss doesn't have the time or energy to sit there and think about how low to set his expectations. Set the height of his expectations by always exceeding them. It'll make you into a valued employee and it'll raise the standard for everyone. It'll make your boss into a great leader as well as your colleagues.

Be creative: Again, don't just do your job. Think of ways that you can help your boss improve morale, or improve the work culture or improve how you do your business. Be a problem-solve. Don't just leave it up to the higher ups to figure things out. Be part of the solution. Being an employee, you have a vantage point that your boss doesn't have and can't have unless you offer your thoughts to him/her. So do it liberally and generously.

You may be under your boss for 1 year or 10 years. But in the time that you have, be fully engaged and set your mind to be a great follower. Then in due time when it is time for you to move on or move up, your boss will miss you but will also be happy that you are moving to a better place. You never know, he might be the one to send you up.  Remember, the highest paying jobs require good leadership.  And in time, you too will become a great leader.