I was organizing a regional training clinic with a high ranking individual in our organization as our guest. As a 4th Dan, I always feel awkward telling very senior masters what the plan is and giving them instructions. I’m sure many other 4th Dans would agree with me. I very diplomatically went to tell the guest what our plans were for them to teach, and the guest simply said, “Sounds good to me. I’m good at taking instruction!” While we often hear about the importance of being a good leader and learning leadership qualities in the martial arts, it is equally important to be a good follower, and to know when to be a follower.
No matter how advanced we become in our martial arts knowledge, we must always remember to be a student. We must always maintain our ambition to better ourselves. We must also maintain the humility to realize that we do not always know the answer to everything and that we will always have a lot to learn. These statements, while true and important, are only surface level statements. The importance of being an occasional follower rather than a constant leader plays a key importance in organizational productivity and how we work with others.
Let’s look at things from a productivity perspective, there is the old adage, “Too Many Cooks, in the Kitchen” When several people in a group are keen on having the solution to a problem, there can be arguing and debating on which alternative solution to use. How many times would it be more efficient to be more agreeable and select a good idea and get to work rather than spending hours debating only to get nothing done? When too many people are focussed on having things their way or being the “Boss”, nothing gets done. In order for high ranking black belts and masters to train together productively, they must be able to get out of teaching mode and to be a student. They must know when they should assert opinions and when they should sit back and listen.
Picture someone that is a CEO in their professional life attending a yoga class as a student. Now picture that CEO forgetting to leave their work and status out of the yoga class and interrupting the instructor, trying to take over the class. How do you think that person’s rapport would be with everybody else in the class? Chances are, the rest of the class would not have a positive view of this person. Likewise, if we try to lead at the wrong place or at the wrong time, we will not create a good image of ourselves with those around us.
How are you at taking instruction and having the ability to be a student? If you want to be a better leader, knowing how and when to be a follower will ironically improve your ethos and accomplish more with your team.
