Leadership ? Push vs. Pull?

At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion.

This lesson is focused on getting people to think in terms of effective leadership. When helping a co-worker, or a customer, employees must understand their role as a leader. The exercise goes like this:

Introduction of the Exercise: (feel free to create your own similar story to support the exercise)

Like many who come from a small town, I was amazed at the number of transients who made the campus of the university I attended their local residence.

At first, the idea of having to walk past many of these individuals was a bit scary. I was not accustomed to being solicited for money or "spare change".

However, after a few weeks of walking to class and regularly being asked for "a quarter for a cup of coffee", the experience quickly became routine.

In fact, after a while, if I didn't see one of the regular panhandlers for a period of time, I would wonder where he was keeping himself.

Certainly, after a brief period, the transients became a small part of my environment, part of my daily experience of college life. Over time, I got to know some of them by name, and they became familiar with who I was.

In any event, one of the most notable transients I became acquainted with was a man by the name of Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben could often be seen dragging a short rope behind him as he walked down the street.

You would think, by watching Uncle Ben, that he was delusional and under the misguided assumption that he had a dog tied to the end of the rope.

Uncle Ben would look back at the end of the rope as he walked, and say - "Come on now boy, keep up."

Very often someone would witness this questionable behavior as Uncle Ben approached and they would ask simply, "Why are you pulling that rope?"

(At this point, give each team member a short piece of string and ask them to experiment with the "rope". Pull it back and forth along the table. Then ask them to guess as to what Uncle Ben's response is going to be. Then continue the story.)

Again, very often someone would witness the behavior as Uncle Ben approached, and they would ask simply, "Why are you pulling that rope?"

Uncle Ben would quickly reply, "Well have you ever tried PUSHING a rope? It doesn't work very well!" This always made Uncle Ben holler in laughter as he kept walking past the person who fell victim to his humor.

You have to give Uncle Ben credit. Indeed, you can't very well push a rope.

In conclusion, make this strong point to your group:

By "pulling" the rope, it will follow you anywhere. Try to "push" it, and the rope goes nowhere at all. The same can be said for the art of leadership.

Leadership is the ability to make people want to follow you. They do that when they see that you are willing to work alongside them and take a vested interest in their success.

People will follow you if they feel you know where you are taking them. If they feel you have integrity and truly care about their success.

We must each pull our co-workers with us. We must pull our customers toward us. Otherwise, we run the risk of pushing them all away.

Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.

---

Celebrating Successes: The Power Of Compliments

Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a... Read More

Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!

What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may... Read More

Leadership - Connect to Engage!

It's been said many times that true leadership is measured... Read More

Leadership and Followership in a Team Setting

Many solopreneurs work in a team environment either with their... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 5, Dominant Participants

While dominant participants contribute significantly to the success of a... Read More

The Three Factors of Leadership Motivation

Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you... Read More

Asking for Help

For many of us, asking for help is a difficult... Read More

Choose Your Best Life: Where Are Your Choices Leading You?

According to the dictionary choice means "to select freely after... Read More

Leadership Development and Jumping Out of Airships

A German silent film melodrama depicts an airship bombing London... Read More

Follow My Leader - To Effect Change, Leaders Must Walk the Talk!

A leader's roleIn any change project, a leader must wear... Read More

Unleash It!

On airplanes, in restaurants, in the newspaper and on television,... Read More

Abraham Lincoln Is Still Alive

Abraham Lincoln Is Still Alive President Jimmy Carter tells in... Read More

Transformational Leadership

"What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of... Read More

Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders

When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to... Read More

In Leadership, Good Enough Is Pretty Bad

The first time I meet a leader to decide if... Read More

Professional Organizations: Join or Fold?

All of us join professional organizations for a reason--a friend... Read More

Recommended Books on Leadership and Team Building

The single most important thing a leader can do is... Read More

Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths

Have you noticed that across the business world people are... Read More

3 Cs Leaders Must Communicate!

"Of every noble work the silent part is best, Of... Read More

Leadership: Seed or Fruit?

Purpose: Learn immediately if you are fostering leadership or ignoring... Read More

Ask Yourself Whats In It For WE?

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working... Read More

Stepping Into Leadership and Being The Source Of Your Success

Why is it that we often wait until we have... Read More

Leading In The Face Of Disaster

The date was Saturday, April 11, 1970, the time 13:13... Read More

5 Leadership Power Principles!

95% of Workers Fail Because of This...But They Can Fix... Read More

Weakness, Struggle, Fear, Knowledge, Growth, Courage, Leader

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most remarkable men in... Read More

The SAMMER Test: Leading People To Get The Right Results At the Right Time In The Right Way

As a leader, you do nothing more important than get... Read More

10 Attributes of Effective Strategic Leaders!

Did you know that people who lead strategically resemble fine-tuned... Read More

Character -- Why It Matters In Leaders

"Character is much easier kept than recovered." -Thomas Paine"The best... Read More

What Does Exceptional Business Success Require of Us?

To excel in business we need conscious command of all... Read More

Dissolving Conflict Through Reframing

Reframing is looking at the situation with a new set... Read More

Leaders ARE; Are you?

Identity CrisisIt's not only the knowledge you carry around in... Read More

10 Ways to Develop Your Latent Leader

latent (adj.) ? Not visible or apparent, but capable of... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders

An organization of any size, from the family to the... Read More