In this article, I am taking this topic from a different angle. Neither I am discussing the attributes of a leader nor his/her styles. What I am conveying is the perception of people as how they want and see their leader to be (all leaders, including corporate and public). When they are confirmed about a person having all what they want to see in him/her, the natural process of followership starts then.
Leadership is not a designated position. It's not a created post, neither it's an assigned responsibility. As indicated, Leadership is the free and unbiased perception of people around a person either to follow him (or her, of course) or not. If they agree and decide to follow him on their own will, then he is a leader, otherwise not. This is the main theme and the major reason of being a leader. So, a leader is the one who is agreed upon by people around him/her to be their leader.
Why People Agree
What is that in a person that convinces the people to agree on a single point? The single point is "That's The Leader, Let's Follow Him"!
1. Truthfulness and Courage:
Being truthful is the base of humanity, and it's the peak as well. When somebody is truthful in all of his deeds and in every step of life, he may face troubles in his daily routine. But such a person always remains truthful despite of all the hardships and in every circumstances. This truthfulness makes him a courageous man to face and bear anything that comes in his way of truth. The quality of truthfulness makes this person very straightforward as well. Because of his super quality of truth, he earns a great respect, an unconditional and hearty appreciation, and acknowledgement from the people who know him. His truthfulness keeps him on top in people's mind.
2. Sincerity and Honesty:
Usually, a truthful person always is a sincere and honest individual. He has a clean, unbiased, and a superb heart, and keeps nothing in his heart against anybody. Because of his integrity, people used to trust him, share their problems with him, and take his advice or words as a good because they know what he is talking about is very sincere and in their benefit.
3. Kindness:
Good manners, smiling face, soft speaking, warmth, and personalized attention to everybody are the complementary parts of that person's behavior. Everybody is important to him, and everybody who meets him feels like that. He is a very excellent and patients listener. So people used to share with him all of their hearts. Because of all the good manners and sweat words, people adore him very much.
4. Sense of Belonging and Attachment:
Another quality of this person, that captivates the people around him, is his regular presence with the people. People are right to believe that the person really belongs to them and from them. This sense of belonging creates a strong sense of attachment between the person and his people. He prefers to live, work, set, and eat with them; or to spend most of the time with them.
5. Feeling the Pain of People:
The person who is truthful, sincere, honest, kind, and belongs to his people has the nature to feel the pain of people around him. He tries his best to help people when they are in any difficulty. The flutter of his heart to help people is not restricted only to his people. He helps others wherever they are according to whatever he can do. All his efforts to help others are without any greed or expectation of any reward. He also enthusiastically participates in and shares the happy occasions of the people around him, with the depth of his heart. People know that the person is the one who would be with them when they are in trouble, so they tend to see towards him when they feel or face a problem.
6. Custodian of People's Trust:
People start to trust this person because of his valuable and precious character. They used to share their problems to seek his sincere and honest opinion and to look for help towards him. People also trust him to the level that it becomes their pleasure to consider him the custodian of any valuable they share with or hand over to him. He never betrays the people's trust. All the people's secrets, confidential and personal issues, and valuables are safe with him.
7. Standing by People:
In every hard time, this person has the nature to stand by his people, forgetting about his personal problems. This person takes a firm stand and can go to maximum to protect or help the people around him. He has all the courage and moral to fight in the front row for his people. The people around him has all the confidence on him to be there when anyone of them faces a difficult situation.
8. Man of Word:
This person is well known for his commitment and honoring his word. He never makes false promises to anyone. When he commits something, he fulfills it on any cost. He never breaks his promises and commitments. So, people around him always become satisfied and confident if he says he'll do it. They know he is the man of his word and the man of commitment.
9. Guide and Arbitrator:
The pure nature of this person with the core values of truthfulness, sincerity, honesty; kindness, and his close relationship with people enrich his vision with a broad wisdom. People around him like him, trust him, consider him as their sincere well-wisher, as well as recognize his wisdom and insight to understand their problems. So they come to him to seek his wise guidance on different issues. Here, he also plays the role of an arbitrator, helping people to resolve their mutual differences. Because of his status in the people's eyes, his word and decisions are honored by the people.
How People Follow
When a person has all the above qualities, or near to them; people, in the first step, start Liking him. With the passage of time, this liking converts to Trust. The trust on this person gets stronger and stronger with his continuous sincere work and care for his people. This trust gradually deepens in the people's heart and they start to be Inspired by what he says or does. The inspiration turns into Influence as the time exposes more the person's purity to the people. They start appreciating, accepting, and supporting his views, decisions, and efforts. They are now Convinced about him to be their real well-wisher and as the person who is always with them, serving and protecting their interests. They are also highly convinced about his wisdom and insight. So, when this person comes with a clear vision and mission to his people, they develop the Faith and belief that the vision and the mission will never be wrong and would be for their betterment, and that they have to fulfill the cause. This faith on the person and his mission makes the people agree and combined to Follow the person, accepting him as their leader by their hearts and souls.
Followership of a leader is not a duty, like office work or any other job. It's a devotion. Followers never care about their time, money, life, and even family when they devote themselves to the mission of their leader. When they accept a person as the leader, they accept, from their hearts, all the ways and means he suggests to achieve the cause. They never care about any hardship that comes in their way and never afraid of any possible failure. They believe in what their leader says and suggests. They have the faith that the leader is struggling for them, not for himself; and for a great cause.
Watch around you! You may find such a person in your surroundings, offices, communities, or anywhere. Such a person might be your boss, your sub-ordinate, your family member, your colleague, your neighbor, or anybody you know. You should know that this person is the one who can become a leader anytime for any cause or mission, and at any level.
It should be remembered that a person can be a follower of many leaders at the same time, at different level, and for various causes. But I believe in one thought about any leader:
"A leader is born to serve"
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I am eager to know your perception to follow a leader. Please share your opinion!
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This post was first published on Linkedin
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