Followers
One of the “things” that seem important to people, especially on social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn, is how many people are following you. On Google-plus, its how many people are in your “circles?” Amazingly there are ads that try to get people to buy followers; and I’d have to guess that there are indeed people who do this.
The implication seems clear. Just as when we all become rock-stars, super-docs, business-moguls, or wherever you are headed, the more followers, the more people we have following us around, we have, the more power we have, right?
Perhaps…
What is their Value?
How many followers do you have? How many followers do you need? Where are you leading them? Do you add value to their lives while you are leading them?
What is their true value to you? There was a recent post about an employee being sued by his employer for talking his Twitter followers when he left the company. The employer valued the followers at about $20 each. Are you worth $20 to the people you follow, or lead? Do your followers add value to your life?
The 300
Sounds like the movie about the Spartans, but it’s not. There is a Biblical story in Judges, chapters 6 and 7 about a man named Gideon.
You should read it for yourself, but the short version is this:
God chose Gideon for a task, but, he did not want to it. He tested God several times to be certain that God didn’t have him confused with someone else, and that He’d be there for back-up.
Eventually Gideon gets his act and his faith together, and sets about the task of collecting an army for the upcoming battle; an army of followers. He sends out a call, and everybody and his brother show up.
He ends up with an army of 100,000. But, it is too many people. And, too many of the wrong people!
God helps him whittle this huge mass of people down into a useable and functional army. He sends away the newly married, those with young children, those who are inattentive, and those who cannot follow orders.
We are left with 300 people to fight against a huge nation.
The best
Thhe good news is that he now has people who are focused.
He has people who actually listen to the leader.
We have a slimmed down unit of people who will act on what they are told and most importantly, people who add value to the operation.
Who is in your posse?
These are the people we want following us, and what we want to be like when we are in our role as follower, and not leader.
We want people who are invested in what is to become of us.
We want people who are trying to move forward, with us, to see what’s over the next hill/ rise.
Not everyone can go to the big dance with us.
Not everyone we know will accompany us on the road to our destiny. As you are preparing to step into your destiny, look around and see who you have with you. Do you have the people you need?
Choosing
How do we choose? Don’t get this twisted. I am not talking about that person who can get you your first book deal, or help you get in touch with a record mogul, or get you that next promotion. I am not advocating that we use people in that way.
But look carefully.
Do you have people who will stand with you through thick and thin times?
Are they people who know what the prize is that your heart seeks, and are willing to help you keep your eyes on it?
Do you have people who will love you when you are not so loveable, and cry with you when it seems that your whole world is collapsing around you?
Are there people with you who will make you stand up and get yourself together when the crying is done and push you to make that next step.
How about a few folks that will tell you when you are doing a good job, and when you are singing way off-key?
Keeping those we love
Recently we have been hearing a lot about the death of Whitney Houston, because it was a tragic end to a tragic story.
For the famous, and the not-so-famous alike, I think they/ we crash and burn because they end up removing the very people from their lives that they need to keep close.
Life is all about choices.
We all need people around us who will love us, protect us, guide us, and correct us.
Life is often hard and treacherous.
Take people with you that you can count on…always.
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