How to Build Relationship Chemistry for Effective Leadership
By James Hughes
1. Listen to your followers’ heartbeat
Just as a medical doctor listens to someone’s heartbeat to know the person’s health condition, so it is important that a leader listens to the follower’s heartbeat to know his present state and need. That may mean paying attention to them as a leader when they come with their personal issues. It will require careful and intelligent listening to understand and grasp what they are saying, so that, with such information, the necessary action can be taken. The consequence of a leader not listening to the heartbeat of his follower is that the follower may not feel secure. That might affect his loyalty to such leader. Loyalty is the aftermath of making a follower feel secure.2. Know your followers’ priorities
The heartbeat of a follower is his concerns and needs. Although he may have given his life to the cause of following his leader, but he also wants his leader’s care in return. Make it your priority as a leader to know and understand the priorities of your followers while mentoring them in the path of success. For instance, you can’t tell a hungry man to go to war. He is probably weak and can’t even lift an arm. His priority at that time is to eat and become strong. After feeding him, such a follower will be ready to give his life for you. This is simply because he knows that the cause he is going to fight for will have a positive effect on his own future too.3. Catch your followers’ enthusiasm
It is easy to work with someone when you share the same enthusiasm. When a leader and a follower are excited about a particular cause, they do everything to see to the actualisation of such cause. They have both been synchronised to be one, in thought and in vision. Nothing makes a leader run faster, more like when his followers key into his vision. Although catching your followers’ enthusiasm shouldn’t make a leader lose his sense of focus and direction. Once you catch your followers’enthusiasm, it will be easy for them to catch yours and also follow your ideology; simply because you have given them a sense of belonging.4. Connect with your followers’ interest
One of the keys to building relationship chemistry with your followers is to connect with their interest. As a leader you can easily spot the interest of your follower in their cause of following you. But it is also important that you know their interest outside your cause. You must be able to relate with a follower as an individual that has a life outside your cause. A follower sometimes gets discouraged and tired as a result of the challenges before him and needs encouragement. Most times, this challenge might not come in their cause of following you. So, going out of your way as a leader to help them out in such state will not be forgotten easily.5. Earn your followers trust
Trust is earned and not demanded. People put their trust in people because such people have been proven in one area or the other over and over again. A leader has to work consciously to earn the followers trust. Not only earning the trust, but also work hard to retain the trust. Trust is a responsibility and when it is saddled on a leader, he is required to work and retain it. “Ade – I hope you trust me, I will not play with the family finance.” “Cynthia – Why should I trust you with the family finance, when I know you have a challenge with saving money, kindly return the money.” Ade had an issue with saving so, Cynthia had a challenge trusting him because she was afraid he will spend the money. Assuming Ade was prudent with his finances, Cynthia would have trusted him.Just as the life of the human flesh is in the blood, so is relationship the life of leadership. People can trace their success and failures to the relationships in their lives. The quality of relationship you have with your followers will determine to what extent your vision will be fulfilled.Discover more from NewsBreakers
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