There Are Followers, Leaders,
And Those Who Stand Alone

"Pressures in life start at a very early age. We call them learning experiences. What we take from each experience helps mold the way we think and how we make decisions in the future."
~John M. Roberts~

In the business world, there are followers, leaders, and those who stand alone. Each category is based on who is doing the leading and what the leader is trying to accomplish. Regardless of the style of leadership, what a leader does permeates through the ranks of the companys' employees and the effects reach well into the heart and soul of the company.

Every leader is unique in his or her own right, yet, they all possess many of the same qualities. Even being, they may be totally different in their management styles and may have different visions of how they want their company to operate.

Each can trace their business philosophies, skills, and leadership abilities back to their adolescent years, their family ties, their past and current lifestyles, and the many events that helped shape their lives. How they think, act, and react to the many pressures of life in the business world is crucial to the success of their company.

As we all know very well, pressures in life start at a very early age. We call them learning experiences. What we take away from each experience helps mold the way we think and make decisions. And above all, how leaders look at themselves is also very important. To be an effective leader, one has to know and understand how he or she fits into the world of business, not as others see them, but as they see themselves.

Who are the leaders?

• They are the ones who are willing to take charge of situations and are not shy about being in the forefront. The exude strong personalities and don't flinch under pressure. They know where they are going and they know how to get others to follow. In business, the leaders tend to be the ones who set market trends. They are out front in the development of new technologies, products, and ideas , thereby taking the lead in determining the direction their particular market takes.

Who are the followers?

• The followers are also leaders, but they lead by following in the footsteps of other more successful leaders. Followers are often successful, too, but his or her success comes on the heals of those they follow. In other words, they keep their eyes on what direction the market takes, especially if those who they are following are successful, and then they follow the leader. In this way, they don't have to deal with trying to develop ideas or products for a particular market because that has already been done. All they have to do is be a good follower. You see it all the time. They say that imitation is a great form of flattery. It may not sound that great, but many follower leaders become very successful business men and women.

Who are those who stand alone?

• There are business leaders who go it alone. They don't follow the market leaders and they don't expect anyone to follow them. They have their own ideas about the particular market they are going after and they forge a course of action that may be a little unorthodox, but they stick with it even if it doesn't appear viable to others. Those who stand alone, in many cases, become very successful business men and women in their own right because they have a knack for seeing what other's don't. By standing alone in the way they do business, these leaders attract a long term customer base that is loyal and faithful, especially if the products the company creates are good. In time, those who stand alone often become the leaders.

Most people have leadership traits that come from each category. Even strong leaders look at the competition and make adjustments if it becomes prudent to do so.

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