Surround yourself with encouragers

Allen Hamlin Jr. Feb. 28, 2020

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As a leader, I’m thankful for the role my followers fill in gifting me with encouragement and perspective.

All followers have opportunities for contribution such as providing a network of support, guiding from behind and developing our leaders.

Practically, one of the avenues for those contributions is our ability to reward our leaders. In the context of both our influence and our submission, followers have a powerful conduit to fuel their leader’s excellence.

“We should maintain an awareness of the valuable opportunity we have to reward our leader through affirmation and encouragement…. We must offer these rewards for the encouragement and well-being of our leader, and not for the purpose of manipulating the environment to our present or future advantage…. For reward to be a facet of relationship rather than a transaction, it must be a gift, not an investment; it must be given away free and clear, not as a loan to be paid back with interest” (Embracing Followership, Chapter 17: “Influence, Submission, and Reward”).

The five team leaders that I oversee are kind and gracious, and I have numerous examples of them offering to me these rewarding statements of affirmation. 

I keep an email folder for such notes that are sent to me. I don’t re-read these in order to stroke my ego, but they are there to encourage—to fill me up with the morale, fortitude and bravery to continue on despite struggle, doubt or frustration in my role.

Three particular comments spoken to me come readily to mind.

•  “I trust you.” 

•  “I tell you because I know you will listen.” (Spoken by someone in the midst of organizational frustration and a sense of being abandoned by the higher-ups.)

• “We are what you are doing.” (An answer offered to my comment about being unsure what I am doing/contributing.)

You may not be able to appreciate the profound impact that these statements had on me, but I hope that you (as a leader or colleague) have experienced your own rewarding sentiments, given to encourage you.

As a fellow follower, perhaps you can glimpse the importance of us taking a relatively simple step of speaking brief, but authentic, words into the lives of our leaders.

At a large conference a few years ago, I made this challenge: what if each participant intentionally encouraged two other attendees during the course of this week?

Now certainly not everybody took up the challenge, but some did. Those on the receiving end of their words came away with something from that event that others missed out on. They had something unique to accompany their SWAG bag as part of the luggage on the journey home.

The next time I see my team (I serve in a distance-leadership position), I hope I don’t miss the opportunity to offer my own encouraging influence in speaking words of affirmation to them while we’re face-to-face.

Use your reward power intentionally and authentically. Help create an environment of gratitude and encouragement where everybody can continue to make their best contributions.

This article was first published on embracingfollowership.com. Used with permission.

Photo source: istock 

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Allen Hamlin Jr. has worked with an international Christian non-profit organization since 2006. His role has primarily consisted of providing team development training and consultation, along with mentoring and member care, to multiethnic teams serving around the world. Allen has a deep appreciation for the values and tensions associated with serving in and alongside of cultures outside of one’s country of origin.

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