One of the first things you need to be able to do as a leader is to get people to follow you. How can this be accomplished?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose.

This means that people will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going.

Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don’t follow me, I’m lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you’re headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

You must not only know, but believe in, the vision of your organization. If you have doubts about whether your organization’s vision is valid or achievable your people will not be inclined to follow you. They will doubt your leadership.

Getting people to follow you relies on your capacity to influence and inspire others.

If you need to develop you influencing skills have a look at The Art of Influence audioseminar I did recently with Australia’s expert in influencing skills, Paddy Spruce.