Why do we follow our leaders?
Thinking about why we follow our leaders, I came to the following schema.
People usually quit their jobs because of bad leaders, not because of a bad company. I will analyze why we quit in another post, but in this post, let’s discuss why we follow our leaders.
The primary reasons I came with are fear and benefit. These are two basic instincts. Either you are submitted and controlled, or you expect to get something from that leader.
When fear is the primary driver, the fundamental reasons are:
I don’t want to be fired I need this job and can’t afford to lose it. My economy depends on it, and I wonder if I can find a new job in a reasonably short period of time.
Although this is true sometimes, it should never be the primary driver for accepting and following a leader. If this is your reason, start making a good prospect in the market, find what prevents you from finding a new job, and fix it. Take your time, and take your time with the decisions. This period should be for you to improve and gain value, but certainly with a termination date.
I deserve this, as I am not good enough All companies hire people to get a benefit; at least, that’s how it should be, and if the company hired, you have the value the company needs. That said, it should never be your professional project that remains with no improvement in time. If your leaders make you feel you keep your position for “charity” reasons, you should rethink your motivations and future.
Conversely, we found the “positive” reasons to obtain a benefit.
Improvement Being next to an admired leader you respect will allow you to improve professionally and gain prestige for being part of a team that can reach extraordinary goals.
Being close to people you admire will improve you; the people you are surrounded by determine who you will become. Traditionally, apprentices fight to be next to a master, to learn, improve, and eventually become masters themselves. That is the correct motivation to follow a leader by all means. These leaders can and should become mentors for you, and you should become a mentor for others in the future.
Protection When you lack experience, you need someone who lets you get rid of all those things not work-related that you still don’t know how to deal with. Also, there are people who struggle with confrontation and/or political stuff. Those are good reasons to be close to a leader, and although they should not be perpetuated in time, this can buy time to learn those skills and move to the improvement motivation as soon as you can.
Think about it. Your future will depend on it.