Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
"Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. "
That’s what I always tell myself. I’m not that kind of a person that would go for the leadership, except in very few cases. I’m neither the one who follows, I hate it. My last choice is to get out of the way. That’s precisely what I try to do. It doesn’t work always fine, but it’s better than being a stumbling stone for others.
Getting out of the way sometimes is mistaken for being lazy, not wanting to work. But actually it’s not the case, it’s just being stuck in the middle of not wanting to take the lead of things, nor wanting to follow what others say.
posted by MoonLightShadow at 9:25 PM, | 
5 Comments:
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Well, u can be part of a team , not necessarily a leader nor a follower..each member will be the leader for the part he's responsible for.
Yeah u could be part of a team, but end of the day, u will be following the top leader.
Well, if you get out of a certain way, that means you choose another, the one the best suits you. In a way you are a leader - you lead yourself on that way. Also, you might happen to follow others who chose the same way, but not necesarily be their follower, because you might choose to do different things on that way...I think this issue is very relative, so you cannot really divide roles taken into leaders, followers and those who get out of the way.
find your own definition, images of a 'leader', and a 'follower' and you will know what's happening with you, and why are you accepting and denying this or that.
Rain, being part of a team is also being a follower. You will have a team leader.
I first heard that expression MoonLightShadow used in bootcamp, and I believe it's military in origin. I'm not sure how well it applies to civilian life. You can't opt out of your responsibilities in the military - you can't find yourself another job, you can't transfer out, you can't quit and in fact you can be charged with crimes if you fail to follow orders.
I'm also not a good leader. That didn't prevent me from being first a fire team leader and latter a squad leader. I did the best I could, but I had to lead by example. I had to really work at earning the respect of the people under me, by watching out for their welfare, being scrupulously fair, demonstarting that I was willing and able to do any of the things I expected of them myself, putting their needs ahead of my own, etc. It was a struggle. For some people, leadership comes naturally. They just seem to be able to inspire people with their force of personality. I always loved reporting to people like that.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that there are times in life that people will have no choice but to follow, and times when they will be expected to lead. I think that comment about "get the hell out of the way" doesn't mean people should refuse to participate. It means, rather, that they should not try to obstruct or interfere with what their leaders are trying to accomplish - because to do so, weakens your leaders and makes their task more difficult. It's OK to disagree with what your leaders - it's even OK to voice your disagreements - but it's not OK to refuse their direction.
Just my 2 cents worth.
I first heard that expression MoonLightShadow used in bootcamp, and I believe it's military in origin. I'm not sure how well it applies to civilian life. You can't opt out of your responsibilities in the military - you can't find yourself another job, you can't transfer out, you can't quit and in fact you can be charged with crimes if you fail to follow orders.
I'm also not a good leader. That didn't prevent me from being first a fire team leader and latter a squad leader. I did the best I could, but I had to lead by example. I had to really work at earning the respect of the people under me, by watching out for their welfare, being scrupulously fair, demonstarting that I was willing and able to do any of the things I expected of them myself, putting their needs ahead of my own, etc. It was a struggle. For some people, leadership comes naturally. They just seem to be able to inspire people with their force of personality. I always loved reporting to people like that.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that there are times in life that people will have no choice but to follow, and times when they will be expected to lead. I think that comment about "get the hell out of the way" doesn't mean people should refuse to participate. It means, rather, that they should not try to obstruct or interfere with what their leaders are trying to accomplish - because to do so, weakens your leaders and makes their task more difficult. It's OK to disagree with what your leaders - it's even OK to voice your disagreements - but it's not OK to refuse their direction.
Just my 2 cents worth.