Not everyone you lead is following you. That may sting some leaders’ ego. Being on your team is not synonymous with being on the same page. Neither is it clear declaration of motives.
Heretic leaders have to trust that those that rally alongside with them in their cause have the same motives as themselves but are not naïve to overlook other factors that may motivate their involvement. Though people follow you, they may follow some of these more than they follow you.
you have to trust the motives of everyone following you but don’t be naive in that they may not be following you with the same intensity in all areas
image by DavidSpinks | cc
Others
Some do not follow you but others that are following you. You may have influence over all the people you lead but not all of it is direct. Some of the influence you have is indirect. You can identify those following others as those who do not immediately react to your calls or statements but first wait to get their cues from others.
They have no opinion until someone voices theirs. To lead and influence the ones who follow others, identify and be intentional about leading their leaders
Agenda
Others simply have their own motives. They may be in your ship but they have their own destination in mind. They are sometimes easy to spot and the experienced ones extremely difficult. However, one of the easiest ways to identify them is how they constantly change stances, not based on reason per se but based on what serves them best.
This type of “follower” is often in the mix of “political” wrangles in the team. How do you lead them? You don’t. You get them off your team before they derail the cause. If not dealt with they can frustrate you and draw energy from you that should be going into your mission.
Cause
Some people follow the cause you actually rally them behind. This is a great thing. You can identify these people by they persistent and passionate reference to the cause in challenging some of the decisions you make. They also speak up when they feel you, as the leader, are compromising the mission by some of your calls or conduct.
They can be a pain but help keep you true to the cause. While you seek to shatter the status quo and define a greater future, the cause followers will constantly challenge you to shatter your status quo as the leader. Value and keep them.
Lead regardless… Be bold. Be /ˈherətik/.