LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWSHIP
What This Means To You
Everyone expects to be a leader, but being a good leader is not as easy as many teens and young adults think. Being a dictatorial boss is easy. Being a leader . . . not so much.
A leader shouldn’t be saying, ‘I’m the leader and this is how we are going to do this.’ That doesn’t work because in business and many other life situations, you may wind up being the leader of a team of folks who know more about the job that needs to get done than you do.
Good leaders know when to give orders and when to get out of the way. Good leaders are always good facilitators, drawing out all the knowledge in everyone’s head, organizing it in some fashion, and constructing a plan that uses the best people, and all their wisdom, in the most effective way possible.
In other words, you don’t need to know everything that needs to get done because you are the leader of the team. Your job as leader is to get the best, and the most, work from everyone – especially those who may know more than you do. Your job is to anchor the team, coordinate action, and keep everyone engaged and ready to work hard.
In our Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program (RIPP), you will sharpen and test your leadership skills, and learn about and practice the science and art of ‘followship.’ Being a follower can actually be harder than being a leader, but it’s what you will be doing for the biggest slice of your working life. Most people spend their working lives as knowledgeable and dedicated followers rather than brilliant leaders.
Remember, no matter where you go in life, that even presidents of the biggest corporations have bosses they need to obey. These bosses may include customers, members of governing boards, and/or shareholders.
So when you find yourself in a leadership role, ask yourself what you would expect as a follower, and make sure you let everyone know that your aren’t the ‘boss’ of them. Tell them it’s your job to simply draw out and coordinate their brilliance!
In RIPP, you will get ample opportunity to hone your leadership and followship skills.
But buckle up. This could get bumpy. And even if it does, the experience you will get in RIPP is exactly what you need to become the best leader – or follower – you can be.
YOU HAVE LEARNED TO BE A GREAT LEADER AND THE BEST FOLLOWER ON THE TEAM.
YOU HAVE LEARNED TO MAKE IT RAIN!
Start now to learn, practice, and apply the skills you will need to earn your future success.
Participate in the Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program in your school.