It's Seldom the Fault of the Followers

There is a leadership lesson that has been going over and over in my head. It goes like this, "It is seldom the fault of the followers." The onus of responsibility rests on the leader. It is the leader who casts the vision, and leads toward the shared end. Leaders cannot be separated from followers because ultimately they end up in the same places. The difference is that the leader knows where they are heading and has the commitment to get them there. That reminds me of another core belief about leadership, "If we are not moving, we are not leading." Leadership is neccessarily going somewhere. When people get off track, it is ussually because the leader is not leading well.

There are cases when it is the fault of the follower. Moses was not negligent when the people of Israel made the golden calf they were just stiff-necked. But as soon as Moses returned he led the correction to the problem. When he was faced with leading the people away from their idolatry it became his problem again. I have thought a lot about this in relation to John 10:11-17. As the good shepherd we need to know where we are leading. We need to know our sheep. Our sheep need to know us and hear our voice. It is up to us to lead them, because it is seldom the fault of the followers.

--Ben