A teacher was sitting at her desk grading papers when her first grade
class came back from lunch. One of her students informed her, "Robert
has to go to the principal's office."
"I wonder why?" the teacher mused.
"Because he's a following person," the child replied.
"A what?" the teacher asked.
"It came over the loudspeaker: 'The following persons are to go to the
office.'"
Some people are "leading people" and some are "following people." And
actually, we are each followers and leaders at various times. But if
you are ever in a leadership position, this advice from college
football coaching legend "Bear" Bryant about how to get the best from
those you're leading can be useful.
"I'm just a plow hand in Arkansas," Bear said, "but I have learned how
to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down
others, until finally they've got one heartbeat together, a team.
There are just three things I'd ever say: 'If anything goes bad, I did
it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real
good, then you did it.' That's all it takes to get people to win
football games for you."
I suspect that's all it takes to get people to be effective in any
situation. For leaders are only as good as those who follow them, and
followers are at their best when leaders are quick to give credit for
successes.
British classical scholar Benjamin Jowett put it like this: "The way
to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them."
That's especially good to know when you're a "leading person."
-- from Touching Moments by Steve Goodier
www.lifesupportsystem.com
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