Follow The Leader Mentality - Leadership Powered By Dictatorship

Follow the leader is a cliché used in organizations where the leadership does not entertain contrary opinions. Employees are taught that "the leader is always right".

The result?

Employees just do whatever the leadership of the organization says.

"Go to the left"

"Yes, Sir".

"Go to the right".

"Yes, Sir".

In this kind of organization, employees become nothing more than tools to accomplish organizational goals. But since employees are rational humans - free moral agents who perform best when treated with respect - you will get little from them in terms of creativity and innovation when you give them little or no space to make decisions on their own.

Make no mistake about it.

Employees contribute the most when they feel a sense of worth, when they are recognized and valued. If you're a leader who thinks he's always right, you're under utilizing the brain power of your subordinates.

You may object and say, "I meet my targets even though I take all the decisions alone".

If that is true, then your targets must be really small indeed.

Here's what happens when you promote follow the leader mentality and use dictatorship to subjugate your subordinates.

1. People will tune off and wait for you to take even the small decisions for them because they know nothing they do will be good enough for you

2. Operational efficiency will drop because things get slowed down while employees are waiting for you to tell them what to do

3. Customer service levels will drop because you have employees whom you don't trust to act with initiative and who won't because you won't appreciate it

4. Morale will be low because employees feel unworthy because you treat them like trash

5. Employee turnover rate will be high because it pays them to take their skills elsewhere - someone else where they will be valued

Trust me . . . you don't want to be the leader of an organization with serious morale issues!

In simple terms . . . follow the leader philosophy or the leader is always right philosophy is a leadership style that ultimately leads to failure.

Want to be successful as a leader?

Give your subordinates free hand to operate. Allow room for mistakes. That way people learn to fail forward and the entire organization learn and grow.

Experience and research have shown that employees surpass the expectation of their bosses when bosses create an environment that promotes initiative, creativity, and innovation.

Try this approach to leadership. You will surprise yourself.

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