Tons of research and writing has been done on leadership, but Gallup looked at the leadership equation in reverse to find out why do people follow leaders? In Strengths Based Leadership, the authors discuss a three year study done with over 10,000 people. The people who answered the question were asked to consider anyone in their daily lives who they thought had a positive influence on them. So leaders from every walk of life, not just the work world, became the objects of the research. The study reframed the results as the Followers’ Four Basic Needs; here they are in rank order:
Trust – Whether it was called honesty or integrity, trust was key. Trust is the very foundation upon which relationships can be built. High levels of trust improve communication, efficiency and employee engagement. Leaders must be trustworthy and cannot lead without it.
Compassion – Here is where emotional intelligence comes into play. Leaders who cannot display caring, empathy, love and genuine concern for people and employees are doomed to subpar results. Understanding and being personally aware of your feelings AND being aware of your impact on others is the core of emotional intelligence. Fact: 75% of derailed executives’ careers are due to the lack of emotional intelligence. Compassion is just one component, but a critical one.
Stability – Followers want a leader who will provide a solid foundation…the best leaders were ones they could always count on in times of need. The need for stability is beyond economics, it’s about values, consistency and transparency in the good times and bad.
Hope – This is a higher level need but is all about the future. Beyond providing a vision, giving hope can be a powerful motivator. When hope is absent, people lose confidence, disengage and often feel helpless. The lack of motivation is a consequence of lacking hope.
Leaders take note: followers expect many things from you, and not just a paycheck. Real employee engagement occurs when these needs are met as the foundation…then real progress can be made to engage employees in a way to hit “warp speed” on the journey to excellence.