Follow Me

Hey what's up?

It's 7:23 AM here.

I have to do some things I really don't want to do today, but I will.
They are things I should have done months ago, but I put off, so today
is the day.

I've been traveling a little more each year, and I'm really into going to Dallas.
I have a good friend there and we mastermind when I'm there.

Not long ago when I was in Dallas, Texas, I needed to go to the post office to
retrieve a package, but my friend and I were having a difficult time locating
the correct address, even though we were using a GPS device.

We were thoroughly lost! All of a sudden I looked up and saw a postman delivering mail from is small truck. I told my friend, "Today is our lucky day!"

When we pulled alongside the postman, we showed him our orange
notification slip and asked if he could direct us to the post
office to pick up our package.

He simply said, "Follow me!" He jumped back into his truck and drove away with me and my friend following close behind.

Within a matter of a few minutes, we were at the post office. We had not been far away from our destination at all.

So here's my point.

I must admit that I was surprised when the postman was willing to stop what he
was doing and personally lead us to the post office.

When we arrived, he explained, "We were only a few blocks away, so I thought the easiest thing for me to do would be to bring you here myself and show you exactly how to get here.

I know all of the back roads and this is the shortest route."

Not only had he personally driven us to our location, but he led us right
through the gate to the area reserved for postal trucks.

He came over to our vehicle and told us that since it was Saturday, the post office had closed at noon, but if we would give him the little orange slip stating that we had a package waiting, he would be happy to go retrieve it for us. I gladly complied
and he entered the post office through the rear door.

Within a few minutes he returned, bringing our package with him.

We thanked him for being so gracious and spent a few minutes talking with him
about his service as a postman.

He explained that he had met so many wonderful people over the years. It was evident that he loved his job and that he was very good at it. We thanked him again and asked for his name and address.

That incident raised an important issue in my mind; one that directly relates
to the topic of leadership.

Why were we so willing to follow this particular gentleman?

We followed because he held the position of a postman.

He wore the uniform; he had the knowledge and experience; and most of all,
he had the confidence to get us to our final destination.

It did not require a lot of convincing on his part to persuade
us to follow him.

His simple words, "Follow me!" were all it took. Technically we were not following him as an individual, but rather because he was a postman. We were following his position.

After spending several minutes in conversation with him and learning a little
more about him, something else regarding leadership occurred. His leadership
with us changed.

We moved away from being willing to follow his position to then wanting to follow him as a person.

And, that is the best type of leader - one that you love, trust and want to follow, because you know them as a person, not just by their position.

I think this is a very important distinction.

Maybe another simple illustration will help to further develop this point.

If a police officer pulls you over for a driving violation and has a bad
attitude or is verbally abusive to you, that does not negate his position as a
police officer.

You cannot say, "Well, officer, I don't think I deserve a ticket because you have a bad attitude!" That will only get you into more trouble!

Been there, done that.

It is important to understand the distinction between the person and
the position they may hold.

We may not like an individual or the way they lead, but that has little or nothing to do with their position of leadership.

Think about the difference between the position and the person in almost any
situation and you will see the clarity and importance of the difference. We
have a position as a parent and our children should follow us, but it is much
better if they love us and want to follow us.

Politicians are supposed to have a very important leadership position in governing the affairs of our country, but we are more likely to follow their direction if we know them personally and are able to trust their ability to govern correctly. They miss this point once they're elected and that is their downfall, but enough of that.

Medical personnel have the position they have earned by years spent in studying medicine, or chiropractic, but most of us would prefer that our physician or dentist spend enough time with us so that we can get to know them as a person and trust their leadership. Most medical doctors miss this point as well. I like to get to know my patients, so they know me and how much I value them and understand them.

An employer has the position of being in charge, but if they lead with a heavy
hand just because they are in charge, it will turn people off and they will not
want to follow.

In many cases, employees simply have to follow that kind of leader, but that is not a good posture in which anyone should find themselves.

Unfortunately, it happens in leadership every day! (It works well in the
military, but not in everyday normal life.)

It would be far better for an employer to develop relationships with the employees so they are willing to follow the leader as a person, not just because of position.
The same is true when you're talking about a doctor leading his staff.

This week think about the distinction between position and person.

What about you? Are you the kind of person who can say, "Follow me," and people will easily follow because they know you to be worthy of their trust?

If so, it says a lot about the kind of person you really are. I want my "personhood" to trump my "positionhood" - every time. I believe you do, too!

I hope this helps. And I want you to remember, I'm not always the brainy person you think I am. I have mentors and people I look up to, just as you probably do.

Let me know if this helps you, or you thought this was a total waste of your time. I love to coach people, help them if you will, but sometimes they are just stubborn and it gets them nowhere. Absolutely no where.

So with that said, I'm out of here until the next post.

Dr. Carney

If you didn't enjoy this, let me know. I like to get comments and find out how I can improve. Thanks again for reading my blog. If you know anyone else that could be helped, please refer them to this blog.