Tim Elmore on the relationship between Following and Leading:
When you are an effective follower, you’ll eventually become a person of influence… and hence, lead other people. Following simply comes first.via The First Lesson Leaders Must Learn by Tim Elmore.
Always been an individual, a loner in many ways, which came from a lack of acceptance amongst young peers as a small child, one with wrinkly, dry, cracked skin that was very different to those around him. So, from a position of exclusion, and within the limits of the resulting introversion and shyness (two very different things), my Parents encouraged me to participate in team sports, hockey being the one that stuck. I have worked hard to be a good team member and a good follower from a young age. Never wanted to be a leader, it's just not in me. And, when forced into these positions amongst a group, it has been a mostly uncomfortable experience which have left a few scars, from which I have learnt much about myself and others. However, within a small safe area of influence, that which a shy introvert is comfortable, I have been able to make a contribution to something other than myself. At least that is what I would like to think.
