by Rod Patterson
Don’t confuse the number of followers someone has with their effectiveness as a leader. Do people follow you? Who are you following? In past times, in order to gain followers, you had to be a person of substance, character, and deep conviction. Today, you can simply click a button to become a “follower” of someone.
You can easily be deceived about a person’s effectiveness as a leader if you judge it by how many followers they have. When I first opened my Instagram account, I wanted to get a lot of followers. I heard that if you follow many people, that would help you get your numbers up fast. I did just that. I started “following” anybody. I don’t recommend that at all. Over a thousand follows later, my instagram feed was flooded with just about every seedy personality on the internet. Yikes! Hours full of unfollow clicks ensued.
Ancient Scriptures tell us that Jesus approached his future disciples and said, “Follow me.” They got up and followed him. Why? His reputation preceded him. What about your reputation? Does it precede you? Do you have true followers, or just people who troll you on social media? A prerequisite for followship should be effective leadership. Leadership you can trust.
Trust is earned. Yet, when you trust others, you run the risk of betrayal. However, that risk is the price if you are going to have friends. You should be able to trust your friends. Consider Charles Blondin, who walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Despite the crowd’s cheers, no one allowed him to carry them across—except his friend Harry Colcord, who nervously climbed on Blondin’s shoulders and crossed safely. That’s trust! Harry observed Blondin cross the tightrope many times before. That trust was earned. I don’t trust my friends like that. Lol.
Reading Blondin’s story in Habitudes Book #2 by Dr. Tim Elmore, I was challenged. The chapter, “Tightrope Walker,” made me reflect on those who put their trust in me. Was I truly trustworthy? Leadership often follows followership.
Here are some realities to remember:
1. Trust is Earned: Building trust requires consistent commitment and strong character.
2. Reputation Matters: Your reputation can influence others’ willingness to follow.
3. Risk of Betrayal: Trusting others opens you to potential betrayal, but it’s necessary for meaningful relationships.
4. Leadership and Followership: Effective leadership often starts with being a good follower and earning trust.
Guard Your Gates 