Election cycles result in leaders serving in new roles. Sometimes there are clear directives, but even then, there is a period of figuring it out on the fly.

While most any time should be a good time, it doesn’t hurt to remind new leaders of what is important.

John Gardner said it this way: “In the conventional model, people want to know if followers believe in the leader. I want to know if the leader believes in the followers.” Do you ever wonder what a leader believes? Sometimes it is clear, sometimes I just can’t figure it out. It’s nice when we feel seen, heard and valued by leaders.

In his book Small Things That Matter, Willam Ayot describes the leader/follower relationship in poetic form. The title is Contract—A Word from the Led.

And in the end we follow them—
not because we are paid,
not because we can see some advantage,
not because of what they accomplished,
not even because of the dreams they dream,
but simply because of who they are:
the man, the woman, the leaders, the boss,
standing up there when the wave hits the rock,
passing out faith and confidence like life jackets,
knowing the currents, holding the doubts,
imagining the delights and terrors of every landfall;
captain, pirate, and parent by turns,
the bearer of our countless hopes and expectations.
We give them our trust. We give them our effort.
What we ask in return is that they stay true.

Did you catch that? A leader that inspires faith and confidence in the storm, able to bear our hopes and expectations? Ayot packs some heavy qualifications in just a few words. What a contract!

What should we reasonably expect from those who LEAD?