Follow the Leader

In pop psychology an interesting term comes up – “enabling,” as in do not enable an addict by supporting their habit in any way, shape or form.

Quite frankly, the word has gotten a bad rap – enabling can be a good thing too!

Enabling your leadership to perform well, for instance, can empower not only the leader, but also yourself.

Faith in the system

That person may hold authority over you, but it is in their best interests to see you perform well and be happy with your job. It is perhaps in your best interests too, to allow your supervisor the chance to execute the plan their way first. They are in a better position to view the big picture and any shifts that might be going on.

Bear in mind too that this chain of leaders and followers will most likely have many levels — much like a pyramid narrowing to the top.

The glass house

Think of trusting the leader in your circle, in a way, as an allowance. Helping them get the job done well might be something to bank on later.

Beyond this, just strive to be in-tune with the chain whenever possible – go with the general flow. There is no point in routinely insisting you are correct if it is not copacetic with the big picture.

Trust is a fragile thing; it can be broken.

The leader/follower relationship is symbiotic and requires two working parts. If a breaking point occurs, talk it out if possible before getting angry and acting out.

Unless your boss is a 6-foot bunny tweaked on sugared cereal, tricks are for kids. Try to have faith in your system instead.

If it ultimately fails you, you can always start over.