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I heard a little girl on the playground joyfully shout, “follow me!” And they did. I said to a co-worker, “That girl is a leader.”
There are certain qualities a leader needs to have. Some of which include: Honesty, Listening, and Helping others grow.
A Forbes Magazine article mentioned that, “Women often need to prove themselves a bit more than their male counterparts and work harder to gain the respect of their peers.” Of the things they mentioned a female leader needs, I like “tenacity” the best. Being confident, determined and persistent. This little girl was tenacious!
Let’s take a look.
She loudly and boldly claimed “Follow me!”
She was running away from the group when she said it.
She swung her arm in a huge circle encouraging others to follow after her.
While she never said so, there was a promise of fun and adventure in the tone of her voice.
She never paused to see if anyone was actually following her, she just kept running away from them.
Now there is a fine line between bossy and leader.
However, our little leader never actually told anyone what to do, other than the fun filled exclamation, “Follow me!” And then she led by example, running towards the goal.
We can learn so much from this simple playground shout.
Instead of telling people what to do, suggest and encourage
Go your own way, even if no one goes with you
Lead while participating, not from the sidelines
Use acceptable gestures to increase interest
Tone of voice matters
Of course, you aren’t a leader if no one follows. Being the “first follower” is also an important role. It not only helps the leader, but let’s other people know it’s okay to follow that person. Think of a dance floor. Often times people are hesitant to get up and dance. Yet, all it takes is one couple, or even one person, to get on the floor and another couple, or person, and the whole crowd tries to fit on the floor.
If you are not comfortable in a leadership role, find someone worth following and be a “first follower.” They will thank you, and so will those who come after you.
Reference
Benson, D., & Grace, J. (2018, January 25). Teachers want to help kids, not do paperwork. The Badger Institute. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.badgerinstitute.org/News/2017-2018/Teachers-want-to-help-kids-not-do-paperwork.htm.