In a recent client meeting, I was asked for my opinion on the definition of leadership.

While there quite possibly might be millions of definitions online and entire aisles in bookstores dedicated to this topic, my definition is pretty simple. I think it involves the concept of followership – that is, at its most basic level, a leader must lead something …which implies somewhere along the way, someone has to want to follow.

So what makes you to want to follow someone? Think about the people that you have worked with in your careers – both those who were good leaders and those who were not. What did they do – or not do – to inspire your followership?

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with some incredible leaders who I have come to admire as well as some who could use a bit of help. I learned something from each one – and that has fundamentally shaped my leadership style.

I think good leaders create followership by doing three things exceptionally well:

• Having a clear vision of where they want to go – and the ability to get others excited about it.

• Having a clear plan of how to get there – including what they are prepared to do and how you can help

• Demonstrating that they are more interested in their team’s success than their personal gain.

As we go through our day to day activities at work, balancing the needs of our teams and the needs of our organizations, take a minute and ask yourself if you are creating followership within your teams. If you are, good news. If you aren’t, then it is time to revisit your leadership style. Leaders need followers. Full stop.