3 Questions Educators Ask About Their New Leader

Throughout my almost 20 years in education I've been a follower and at other times a new leader. When a new leader is put in place it's important that the leader and the followers develop a synergy as soon as possible. I define synergy as a relationship between the followers and the leader that enables the school or system to move in a more productive and positive direction. Without synergy it's difficult, if not impossible, to move forward. As a new leader it's critical to take time to get the perspective of the followers. There are 3 questions followers ask.

1. DO YOU CARE FOR ME? This is a huge question. A follower wants to know that the leader has a caring connection for them. The leader is not just there because they have a job to do. When followers feel like they are not being cared for, they quickly lose heart making synergy impossible to achieve. Followers need to know they are cared for in order to stay passionate about their work and reach their full potential.
2. CAN YOU HELP ME? This question speaks to the competence of the leader. I believe followers are usually excited about a new leader because there exist a potential that their life is going to get better. They optimistically believe things are going to change in a positive way. The follower is asking, "Is this person going to help me get to a new level?" The leader should ask himself a similar question, "Am I helping them to get better?" A more PROFOUND question that a leader should ask himself is this, "When my time in the current leadership role is over, will my people be better off or will I be better off but they won't?"
3. CAN I TRUST YOU? Followers ask, "If I'm going to follow you, are you going to be and do the same thing? Are your words and actions going to be consistent with your stated values and vision? Are you going to motivate me to be a better person or are you going to manipulate me for your advantage and somehow I become disadvantaged over it?"

Once the followers can answer "yes" to these 3 questions, a fledgling team is born and a small flame of synergy begins. Every leader needs to be able to look their followers in the eye and answer, "yes, yes, and yes" to those 3 questions. I've seen new leaders come upon the scene and expect immediate loyalty from their followers. I believe loyalty runs up-and-down and side-to-side in an organization as evidenced by the 3 questions above. Any leader who is expects loyalty to only flow in an upward direction is narcissistic and will find it difficult to retain quality followers.