Are You Worth Following?

Are You Worth Following?

Dr Chuck Stecker

           

Have you ever given much thought as to why you follow the people you follow?

            I can think of several reasons to be a follower of a person, and I am sure there are more reasons than I will list.

1.      We follow others because they can help us reach our objectives. In other words we want to be around them because of what we believe they can do for us.

2.      We follow some because we identify with their journey and they inspire us. They are inspirational.

3.      Some people we follow because they pour into us either directly or indirectly. They water our personal garden.

4.      Some people are followed because they are just plain interesting - - not a bad thing at all.

5.      Finally, some are followed because what they are doing is important and we believe in their cause.

            When I consider the people in my life that I follow, there is a common denominator: they are all people worth following! Frankly, they are worth my time, which I regard as a precious commodity.

            This brings me to the real question - Am I worth following? It does not matter the importance of the cause or the relevance of the issue. It does not matter if I write well or am available. What really matters is whether or not I am worth following!

            What determines whether or not a person is worth following?

Here is a short list for me.

1.      Integrity is huge for me. If a person does not strive for integrity, I am not sure I can trust anything from them including their actions or motives for the actions.

2.      Shared Values. This separates those who are just moving fast from those who are moving fast in the right direction.

3.      They must be investing in others. On the back of our ACG Coin it asks the question, "Who are you investing your life in today?" Critical.

4.      Trustworthy is critical. It speaks volumes about far more issues than we realize.

  

5.      Dependable is pretty simple. Do they do what they say they will do?

            Before I get bombed with comments, let me first admit the biggest issue for me is dependability. I am working very hard at committing only to those things I can actually do. That will mean saying "no" to many things I might have said "yes" to in the past; but it also means that I will be dependable and, as a result, worth following.

            Think about the characteristics of those you follow and want to be around in your life. Why are they worth following?

Are you worth following?