‍Episode 2: Leadership

Michelle asks: What is leadership?

Ron says there needs to be a leader and a follower, and it can sometimes be the same person. If no one is following, no one is a leader.

What does it mean to be a great follower?

Ron shares the importance of followers creating a space for a story in which a leader’s ideas will work. A great follower is listening to someone’s leadership offer and giving it a chance.

Michelle and Ron share a laugh over their professional experiences with leadership and followership, and Ron shares a personal story from his time at Siemens.

How important is followership?

Michelle feels that followership, in addition to leadership, has been important throughout her career. For Ron, he reiterates there is no leadership without followership. And the followers make up stories in their heads about whether or not they choose to trust a leader.

Does it take courage to be a leader? Does it take courage to be a follower?

Ron and Michelle discuss the scary feelings involved when choosing to be a leader as well as a follower. Ron shares a story about being the “first follower” in a professional context and the courage it takes to be in that position.

If you want to be a leader, where do you start? Should you start with yourself, and where does it progress from there? Michelle asks after hearing Ron’s story. Ron recommends starting with yourself: being a leader of yourself and follower of yourself. And then turn yourself into a follower of others.

Leading is about crafting stories that the other person can hold, and they will want to follow. Without knowing the stories in the followers’ heads, you don’t understand how it’s going to land and how they’re going to hear it.

Join us to hear how understanding the idea of “self talk” — and what you can do about it — could change your relationships and life for the better.

Visit www.macklinconnection.com

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