How to Lead While Following
My father used to always tell me, “You will never be given the keys to anything significant until your forties.” For a young man who had strong leadership abilities and aspirations, this was hard to hear. I thought the moment I graduated college, surely everyone would read my resume, drool over the part that lists my leadership skills and experience, and beg me to take over.This did not happen. As it turns out, employers don’t really care if you were captain of the chess team or even the football team. It might help get your foot in the door, but ultimately all they see is an inexperienced twenty something who can make coffee and copies. After college, I was employed by numerous different companies, all of which I had bosses. The advice my dad gave me was slowly being realized. I will probably never be in charge of anything significant for another decade.I was disheartened at first to have my “leadership potential” bubble busted, and I responded by withdrawing from work and doing the bare minimum. This was a bad and immature choice (which is probably why they don’t trust twenty-somethings to be in charge of anything). By choosing to do the bare minimum, I was guaranteeing myself that I would never lead anything, ever, not even when I’m in my forties.I have since changed tactics. I may not be in charge of anything significant and I may not be my own boss, but I have found I don’t have to be in either of those positions to actually lead. Here are a few things I changed that made all the difference:
- Do Your Work Well – This might seem like a no-brainer, but excellence as a “cog in the wheel” makes you stand out. Whether it's a desk job or a manual labor job, whether your in the food industry or an intern in the ad industry, being excellent at the basic things develops trust from your superiors and respect from your peers. If you can’t perform well at the bottom, why would anybody want you at the top?
- There Is Always Room for Innovation – My first real job out of college was working as a content writer and editor for a social media company specializing in How To videos. Although that might sound exciting, I assure you, it wasn’t. However, I took it upon myself to be creative where I could with my writing. If I saw something that could streamline a process, I shared it. I took the time to learn more about the process of the whole company, not just my specific part. Not all my ideas were listened to, nor were they all good. But by being proactive about innovations, I ended up being moved to the Research and Development side of the company where I was able to do some really cool things, be in charge of special projects, and make some substantial contributions.
- Encourage Your Peers – It is a lie to think that the only way to get ahead is by making yourself look better than your peers. One of the easiest ways to lead while following is actively encourage the people around you. Make part of your job helping them do their job best. Be available to help them grow their careers, even if you have nothing to gain from it. True leaders are ones who are not interested in their own success, but the success of their mission.
- Own Up to Mistakes – I always thought that if you messed up at work, you were done for. This is actually rarely true. Good bosses expect their employees to make mistakes. When we own up to our mistakes, accept the consequences without passing blame to others (even if they might deserve it), we show our boss that we are secure enough to admit failure and it develops trust and respect from our peers.
- Always Learn – Probably the biggest hindrance to twenty-somethings leading while following is our belief that college (or grad school) taught us everything we need to know about the profession we are pursuing. This is a lie. There are always new things to learn. The best leaders in their forties are the ones who made it their jobs to be renaissance men and learners in their twenties.
- Be Humble – Know your place and play it well. Being cocky may attract a crowd, but it will never gain respect.
Questions: What are some things you have found helpful in leading while following? Has it worked? What are some success stories of leading in your workplace without being the boss?