As a leader in your organization, your followers make or break you. For over 30 years, I have watched people turn their lives upside down to follow great leaders. Why?

Why do people follow you? Take a look and see how many of the following are true.

  1. You are a winner. People love to be on a winning team. Your organizations consistently set big targets and beat the competition. There are lots of wins to celebrate. And always more to work on to get better. There’s lots of team pride around you.
  1. You are an exuberant leader. Your love for life shines through no matter the ups and downs. Your enthusiasm turns work – and taking on big problems — into adventure. Your energy is contagious. Working for you is like plugging into an electric socket.
  1. You make the future real. Your vision is exciting, it matters, and it inspires people right now. You offer your followers a real sense of purpose. They are proud to be part of it.
  1. You make them better. People want to be the very best version of themselves. They want to work for a leader who helps them stretch and grow. Who provides them with opportunities to learn. You raise the bar and people up their game to clear it.
  1. You build their confidence and courage. You push them to take risks outside their comfort zone, help them turn fear into fuel, and enable them to discover more capacity within themselves than they ever imagined.
  1. You set them up for success. Along with ‘stretch’, you provide support: through coaching, by providing tools and resources, by knocking down obstacles, and by seeing mistakes as ‘research and development’.
  1. They ‘feel the love’. They feel seen and appreciated. You never give false praise, but you are generous in sharing credit. You spotlight people who take ownership, put in the extra effort, and over-achieve. With you, love is a competitive business advantage.
  1. You open up your own networks. You connect your people with other top leaders. You share the stage and give them a chance to shine in ever expanding circles.
  1. You help your people move on. You don’t hoard people for your own purposes. You advise them on their next bold career move. You support them in a new role – wherever that may be. Your followers are forever members of your expanding alumni community.
  1. Working with you is fun! You bring lightness to serious work. Laughter and music are everywhere and creativity is through the roof. Everyone’s eyes are shining!