Follower-ship in Action

It’s Times like These that Produce Roosevelt-ty-ing Moments

Good thing we’ve been looking at the follower-ship vs. leadership paradigm. If you haven’t noticed we have an excellent, real life case study going on right in front of our eye’s.

When you watch the public announcements made by the President, concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, watch him and watch those who are around him. You can see follower-ship and leadership in action.

“Dave! Why are you still writing about this? Things are bad, real bad, who cares about follower-ship vs. leadership when I can’t even get some toilet paper?”

Panic. (Please don’t. I’m just introducing today’s thought.)

What are the responsibilities of a follower vs. a leader in a situation that may cause panic? Watch the video below and you will see an example of what is happening today during our current crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPkJH6BT7dM

I’ve been watching the President and the press corps interact. I’ve been struck as just how rude and personally vindictive some of the reporters are. As a reporter you can ask the hard questions, it’s your job. But when four of you ask the same question, in a row, which the President and the health professions top Dr. both state that, “we can not give a specific date.” Stop asking that dumb question. It makes you look weak.

In my estimation that type of behavior, by the media, is directly causing confusion, and then, it’s ugly counter-part “Panic.”

What ever you think of the President personally, “he could have acted sooner,” you don’t know that. “He isn’t showing enough empathy,” the guy never did. “He isn’t doing enough,” maybe, maybe not, but I’ve seen him allowing and encouraging the governors of the states to utilize their powers to the fullest… personal responsibility, personal accountability… I’m seeing in person that most people do not want to take on these two critical designations. Instead pointing fingers and laying blame.

“Wherever you find a problem, you will usually find the finger-pointing of blame. Society is addicted to playing the victim.”

~ Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

https://www.wow4u.com/blame/

I’m appreciating how the President is coming across. He has to keep things calm. If he doesn’t… then the wheels really come off. People themselves will overreact on their own, well enough.

The COVID-19 recommendations are not new to me. I’ve been through an emergency situation much like this. It wasn’t world wide, country wide or even state wide… it was however city wide.

I was affected by the 1996 Wisconsin Central train derailment, that occurred in Weyauwega Wisconsin, which precipitated a complete city evacuation. In the month of March. For 3 weeks. We went through the gamut of emotions. We endured long, stressful, community updates, town hall meetings and nervous phone calls with family and friends. Being led by our cities fire chief who would be surrounded by ‘other’ experts and train company representatives, we all felt like the rail cars looked.

It’s stressful “not knowing,” it’s stressful having family on the fire department. It’s very stressful when they clear town and you couldn’t grab your dog, they said, at first, “we need to clear the city for the day.” It ended up being for three weeks. We re-entered town with the national guard, in armored personnel carriers to rescue pets. It was a crazy time.

“Subsequent investigation and litigation established that the derailment was caused by an undetected, fractured heel block in a switch. The fracture then propagated through several bolt holes. A contributing factor was a lock bar that had been missing for approximately a year.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weyauwega,_Wisconsin,_derailment

We watched the news casts, questioned the reporting at times, and didn’t really know who was in charge of it all… people panicked. People screamed at the podium, and at who ever was talking at the time… “taking their frustrations out.”

Follower-ship, being an aware follower, requires a leadership mentality.

Be a leader in your home, following the COVID-19 recommendations. Lead by example, by checking on an elderly neighbor, following the COVID-19 recommendations. Lead… with well thought out actions.

We all will be called on at some point of our day to follow and to lead. When that opportunity arises meet it confidently. Do the best you can, with what you have. Gain strength moment by moment by being awake and aware of the situation at hand.

Take the news in, but salt it with common sense. Trust the doctors and their recommendations. Please don’t be a part of “a run” on the stores. Please don’t panic. You… in a panic… could put in harms way those people we may need to assist.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

I have to wonder? What are we learning right now?

Will businesses become more nimble and responsive, in getting products to market? Will the antiquated school system be looked at, after a nation of teachers learns how to teach using online classes. A lot of them, including college professors… don’t know how to, and more importantly… DIDN’T HAVE TO LEARN HOW… until now.

I have a feeling we will learn a lot. Mostly… about ourselves.

Followers are notorious for being slow to change. Change is uncomfortable. Leaders try to mitigate the panic, the uneasiness of ‘not knowing’ and try to provide enough information for the followers to feel confident in the new plan to follow forward.

As we move forward remember: “Potters not selling, Potters buying!”