Do they run through a wall, or build a wall?

“A committed team is a winning team”

-Nathan Jamail, Keynote Speaker, Bestselling Author

Through the wall or build the wall:

If you have been a leader of people for any amount of time, you know exactly what I am talking about here.  Which is:  we all have team members that will either build a wall up, or run through any perceived walls.

Many times during my workshops I will ask leaders, “who has that person on your team that you know no matter what you ask them to do, they will, including running through a wall to get it done for you?”  I am always enlightened to see many hands rise up, though there are still plenty that don’t.

The team members I am talking about here are the ones that will run through those walls without hesitation and with great conviction.  They do this, not because they are “yes people”, but because they are believers, do’ers and know that their impact is their value.

At the same time, we all have the other person too; the ones that build the walls of obstacles up.  The person that no matter what you do or ask they will debate, argue or complain. The person you could give a $1,000,000 to and they would still complain about the taxes.

Today, I want to look inward and ask ourselves which follower are we?  This will be relevant for leaders and non leaders because this is about how we follow, not about how we lead.

Serve Up, Coach Down:

When I wrote “Serve UP, Coach Down” I based this book on thousands of conversations with leaders from my workshops and my executive coaching clients.  These leaders were struggling with their role as a leader in the middle (one who leads and also follows) and how to be the most effective and successful leader they could be.   And two areas can be explored to understand our type of leadership and effectiveness:

• Which type of middle leader are we
• How we make more of us

Which type of middle leader are we

As stated earlier, during my workshops I ask about the people we have working for us; the wall breakers or the wall builders.  Every leader knows their people and their impact- good and bad.  They are willing to talk and share about their team members.  However when I ask which follower they themselves are, they stop and get a little quieter.

The answer to the question of what type of person/leader we are (wall builders or wall breakers) is something each and every leader needs to truly ask of themselves. Because some are going to find out that they are the wall builder, not because of bad intent or defiance, but maybe because of ego.   

There are questions you can ask yourself to understand which type of follower you are portraying.  When your boss asks you to do something, do you:

• Ask to understand, or do you ask to challenge or prove wrong?
• Do you say to others you don’t agree but will do it any way?
• Do you take full action immediately or do you wait until you are convinced?
• Do you feel less important or less valued because your option or feedback was not asked first?
• Do you ask, “Why did they or why should we?”  OR “How do we do it?”

Compare your answers to the answers you think your wall breaker would give versus your wall builder.

As leaders in the middle we are leaders and followers at the same time, but how we react to the direction we are given will most likely determine how our team will react to the direction we give.

I find great leaders want to be seen as the person that gets things done, the person that others can count on. Being this person is about how committed we are to our leaders, not just our people.  Our value is not our experience or knowledge and most definitely not our input or opinion.  Our value is our impact and our effort, and that is based on our conviction.  When we add great conviction to extensive experience and knowledge we execute in the best way possible.  The key is being the follower we want to lead, so our leaders want to lead and coach us.

How we make more of us

Our followers will follow the way we follow our leaders.  If our people see us pushing back and building walls with our bosses, then they will do the same to us as their bosses.  Most of us learned how to lead by doing what those that led us did.  Some stuff we did not like and some we did, but we find ourselves leading based on our experience.  This is why we make more of us regardless of what we tell our followers.   

I know I want wall breakers on my teams, not because I want “yes people” but because I want a team that is in alignment; everyone going the same direction even if the direction is wrong.  I want a team that is committed with conviction because I know we will make wrong decisions and mistakes sometimes, but I want to make them quickly (and learn) and then change direction as an entire united team.  I want to be a follower that believes in my leader and in the organization that I represent and I want my followers to be the same for me.

As a leader I want to be humble enough that my ego is not limiting my impact.  We all make mistakes, truth be told, as a person, a father, a husband and as a leader I am wrong twice as much as I am right.  I want to be the follower that understands that my leader will make mistakes too and I want to have the grace and humility to keep my trust and my conviction through wins and through mistakes.

Last note, buy-in is not about just understanding the why- it requires belief in those we follow and in our own humility.  I have found when we don’t need our ideas or input to be heard, more people will ask for it.  Not because we are quiet, but because our leaders know our input is not mandatory for our conviction and we will run through a wall no matter what, because that is how we make a difference and how we show our impact!

About the Author:

Nathan Jamail is a keynote speaker and bestselling author of 5 books, including his most recent “Serve Up & Coach Down.” With over 25 years of leadership in Corporate America as a top Director of Sales and a small business owner of several companies, his clients have come to know him as “The Real Deal.” Nathan has taught great leaders from across the world and shows organizations how to have a “Serve Up Mindset” to achieve maximum success. His expertise doesn’t come just from research or interviews. It’s from living the life of leadership for over 25 years. As a sales leadership keynote speaker and author who works with thousands every year, he challenges leaders to be the best version of themselves and settle for nothing less! Check out Nathan Jamail’s books, articles, keynote presentations, and blogs at www.nathanjamail.com or follow us on Linked-In, Facebook or Twitter.