Lead Like a Follower

Lately, I have been coveting motorcycles I see on the road. the other day I saw one in my rear view mirror just as I was getting ready to pull off the highway that I thought looked particularly nice.




To my surprise, this motorcyclist turned off the highway with me. Over the next few miles I did my best to keep this bike in my sights and was glad at each turn that it stayed right behind me. As I approached my community and prepared myself to watch as the bike disappeared down the road I was shocked when it followed me into my community.

I immediately concocted a plan to follow the bike back to its house so that during the next community yard sale, I could buy a coffee mug in exchange for a conversation that might lead to this guy selling me his bike real cheap.

Here was the problem, he was not leading...I was! He had followed me for 3 miles and was still behind me and I had limited options for how to find his house. I could have pulled over and let him pass, and then pulled in behind him and followed him home - a little creepy but effective. Or, I could have let it go - actually, that would not have been an option now that I think about it, it was a really nice bike.

So, what I actually did was let him lead me from behind.

For the next quarter mile I drove just a little slower so that he would stay close. By correctly reading his intentions I would anticipate his next turn and was able to follow him from the front all the way to his house. Don't worry, I played it cool! I don't even think the guy knew I was following him...

Here's a paradox of leadership that's illustrated in my stalking this guy: Having a position of leadership can often be the biggest enemy to actually leading. When you allow your position, title or authority to dull your senses you stop paying attention to the subtle intentions of the guy behind you and you run the risk of removing yourself as the leader by making directional decisions without gathering the right data.

with the motorcycle in my community, I was successful at other times, however, I'm still learning how to keep my eyes on the road and the rear view mirror recognizing that sometimes I need to lead like a follower.