Ultimately you need to understand what the leader wants to accomplish and how you can help achieve that desired end-state, including modifications you believe will result in an overall better outcome. As you listen to the leader explain his/her desired outcome the leader’s objective can easily become lost in your personal communication filters – how you write, how you talk, what words you use, your voice inflections, etc. What the leader says must be filtered through the leader’s communication filters – the leader’s writing style, vocabulary, inflections, etc. When you understand your leader’s “language” you significantly increase your understanding of his/her perspective.

Further, effective follower’s behaviors include:

• behaves the same towards everyone, regardless of their position in the organization,
• does not avoid risk or conflict,
• initiates and participates in change,
• challenges the pastor/leader’s ideas and opinions in a respectful way,
• accepts responsibility, and
• serves the best interests of others.

Strangely, effective followers also know when to leave the organization or change their position.

Ian

This also helps to keep your leaders accountable to their own vision. If they are taking actions contrary to what they told you the vision is, then you can confront them on it, in love of course, and wither gain further insight to the vision or help keep the vision on track.

Dustin in Indiana.

Keeping that responsibility in mind, I think there are two really important things:

First, I can never forget that communication is critically important. He cannot read my mind, does not necessarily read all the emails or visit all the meetings which give me reasons to feel the way I do about a particular project.

Second, it’s critical that I understand his “Commander’s Intent” (read “Made to Stick” if you haven’t yet). That means that–whenever possible–I don’t just get a set of step-by-step instructions from him. Instead, I get a value statement: “at the end of the day if X happens, we’ll be successful.”

It’s also important, though, to recognize that different jobs require different kinds of “leading up.” When I ask an admin or an intern to do a project, it’s often the kind of project that requires a set of a step-by-step instructions. I’m not particularly interested in seeing a creative solution, for example, to alphabetizing a set of documents. I just need them alphabetized. On that note, one other small thing: no “scutwork” associate of mine goes through a project with me without picking up some creative, thinking work as well. If people don’t get a chance to stretch, we never get to see how far they can go.

Thanks for the post. This one specifically speaks to some challenges I’ve had in the past (and you are well aware of them). I had this exact conversation yesterday with a couple guys that worked for me in the past. Good stuff. I agree with Kylie above - Humble pie doesn’t taste good all the time; however, it’s one of those things necessary to eat

–DW

[...] In Their Shoes. In every leadership role I’ve held, I’ve had to make decisions that others did not agree with and did not understand. In hindsight, not all of those decisions were the best, and in a few cases would have been better if I … [….

As I’ve submitted to authority and done things a new way, his way, not my way I’ve grown to see things clearer and some of the lines are grayer while others have become more defined. This is a good thing. It’s ok to learn and change because of someone else’s leadership and character.

I’m thankful for my pastor.

Redeeming Riches
http://redeemingriches.wordpress.com

Sometimes, even though ‘our way’ seems like the best/right way and you get frustrated that the leader can’t see that, we need to realise that God has placed those leaders in authority and in those positions for a reason. Sometimes it takes a little bit of “Humble Pie” to back down and continue to serve them - submit it all to God and trust Him with the situation, regardless of how it turns out.