You can be ready to lead all you want,
but are you someone worth following?
The above quote was said to me by my high school football coach, Calvin Hobbs (as best I can recall, since it happened in the 1900s!), and it is a story that has really resonated with people from “Forward, Together.”
Although in the moment I heard it as a grade 12 student, it didn’t make much sense to me. But in my first years of school administration, that lesson hit me hard, and I am so glad that I could pull it out of the memory bank.
That is a great reminder that some of the lessons teachers share with students might not be understood in the moment, but students will get them when they need them most. Always teach the lesson.
When working with a group of school administrators in Huntington Beach, California, after sharing the story from my high school football coach, a question was asked: “How do I become someone worth following?”
What a great question to ask, and the humility of that response told me that they were in the right room! As I have said before, the higher you go up in any organization, the more people you serve, not the other way around.
This was the response of a servant leader.
Since most of these questions and responses are impromptu in my conversations with teams, I thought about my answer to that question, and the first thing that came to mind is that if you want to be someone worth following in leadership, you also have to know when to follow others.
For example, I have worked with incredible superintendents over the years, and many of them barely speak on their opening days because someone else is better in that role on their team. It is not that they can’t; they are comfortable having someone else do it, since that person might have a personality more conducive to getting up in front of a large crowd and getting them excited for the school year. Fair enough!
But great leaders also know their strengths and where they can make the most difference, even if it does not fall within their typical job responsibilities.
When I was an assistant principal, it was typical for that role to deal with student discipline, and honestly, I was very good at it. After taking a principal role a couple of years later, I kept that as part of my responsibilities. That was where I excelled, and it mattered to me. The incredible assistant principals we had at the time did many of the “typical” principal roles not because I didn’t want to do them, but because they were better at them than I was.
This thinking is not limited to admin teams but to all staff. Do we recognize leadership at all levels, or only those who are in “administration?” Being an administrator does not make you a leader, and some teachers I know are the best leaders I have ever worked with and have no interest in going into administration. Leadership is the ability to influence others to take positive steps forward, regardless of your role.
Leadership is not limited to any position, nor is it a title you can be given. You can be appointed to an administrative role, but you earn leadership.
Again, are you someone worth following?
I discussed the importance of being a good follower as a leader in “Forward, Together” and shared the following in the book:
As a leader, when trying to grow your community, it’s essential to recognize when you need to step aside, take a step forward, or move to the back. No matter how smart you are, there’s always something you can learn from and with your community, whether it is students, staff , or families.
But no matter where you are in that spectrum, it’s imperative that you respect the experience, voices, and wisdom of your community.
Growing your community means recognizing that although we may disagree, when we work together, we can still find a pathway forward.
When people feel valued for what they have to contribute, they will gladly get on a path with you, even if they feel uncomfortable…When you build your community up, they will in turn make you better through the process. Once they know you see their gifts, they are more likely to give them to you.
Learning to step out of the way and elevate others is crucial. And at some point, those gifts will become crucial when dealing with adversity.
I do not want to go too deep into the details because these are not my stories to share, but this past summer, I saw some really tough moments for school communities that were beyond their control. It was heart-breaking to see, yet hopeful to see leadership teams come together as communities. When people see the idea of “Forward, Together” and think, “We do not need this since we do not really have adversity in our community,” I am reminded that no matter how well things go, there will always be a time when you face adversity. Every individual and community will face it, no matter how well we get along. You find out about great leadership not when things are going well, but when we need to lean on each other the most.
So going back to the question that inspired this post: “How do I become someone worth following?”
One way is to learn when you need to become a follower in elevating the gifts of others in your community. Those gifts will be there for you, not only in the good times, but also when you need them most.
Building community is also about building up community.
Do that, and the gifts will be present when you need them the most.
