How to Be the Kind of Leader People Want to Follow

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It’s one thing to have a leadership title. It’s another thing to have people truly want to follow you. 

In this Leading People episode of One Simple Thing, Gerry Murray explores the difference and what you can do to close the gap. 

If you’re new to leadership or simply want to reconnect with the fundamentals, this 5-minute listen could be your reset moment.

Check out the Team Leader Essentials and Performance Accelerator programmes here

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Welcome to Leading People with me, Jerry Murray.
This week it's One Simple Thing,where in each episode I share a
quick, actionable tip to helpyou bring out the best in
yourself and others.
One simple thing is created foryoung leaders.

(00:27):
But hey, us older folks canstill learn a thing or two.
Ask my dog, he's learned a fewnew tricks recently.
Here's a question for you.
Picture this you woke into yourfirst day at a new job and your
manager is constantly late,disorganized, and changes their
mind every five minutes.

(00:48):
How confident would you feelfollowing them?
Exactly.
People don't just follow jobtitles, they follow behaviors.
And before you can lead others,you must first lead yourself.
But what does that actuallymean?
Leadership isn't just aboutmanaging people, it's about
modeling the behaviors you wantto see in others.

(01:12):
Think of the best leaders you'veworked with.
What made them inspiring?
Probably they were clear ontheir priorities, they followed
through on commitments, and theyset the tone with their
behavior.
Now, think of leaders whofrustrated you.
Probably they were, among otherthings, scattered, inconsistent,

(01:34):
unclear about what they stoodfor.
The message here is that yourleadership brand is being
created by your presence or lackof presence, whether you
consciously shape it or not.
And if you don't define andcommunicate your leadership
values, others will define themfor you.
So, what's one simple thing youcan do to lead yourself first so

(01:59):
you can model leadership forothers?
Here are three useful startingpoints.
First, get clear on yourleadership values.
What do you stand for as aleader?
What do you want to be knownfor?
For example, if reliability isimportant, but you're constantly

(02:22):
late or cancelling meetings withyour direct reports, what
message does that send?
Second, set personal standardsand stick to them.
Your team watches what you domore than what you say.
If you cut corners, they'll cutcorners.
If you bring energy, they'llbring energy.

(02:44):
Third, build a daily leadershipreflection habit.
At the end of each day, askyourself Did my actions today
match my leadership values?
Would I want to work for myself?
What could I do differentlytomorrow?
Some small adjustments can equala huge impact over time.

(03:08):
So your leadership impact startswith you.
Test out this one simple thingthis week.
Get clear on your values andpersonal standards, and build a
daily leadership reflection.
Because if you can't leadyourself, why should anyone else
follow you?

(03:29):
Do you want to take thisfurther?
Our team leader essentials andaccelerating performance
programs are designed to helpleaders just like you bring out
the best in yourself and others.
Check out the links in the shownotes.
And that's another one simplething.

(03:52):
Thanks for tuning in.
Remember, small steps can leadto big changes.
Test out this one simple thingand notice how it transforms
your day.
Let me know how you get on.
Reach out on LinkedIn andconnect with me.
Mention the podcast.

(04:16):
And if you'd like to learn moreOne Simple Things, then
subscribe to this podcast onyour favorite podcast channel
and follow our LinkedIn LeadingPeople page.
In our next episode of OneSimple Thing, we'll explore

(04:37):
another easy way to be a greatleader by bringing out the best
in yourself and those aroundyou.
And in between, you can checkout one of my longer
conversations with leadingpeople about, yes, you've
guessed it, meaning people.
So until then, keep exploringand stay curious.