Years later, I can still recall my dance teacher's detailed instructions and corrections. "Lead with your right, now your left; lead with your toe, now your heel; lead with your hip not your head!" It was hard work to use all these instructions, and sometimes frustrating to hear the corrections, but worth the effort as I practiced to perfect my waltz or tango.
 
As hard as I was working, my partner had even more to do. Besides refining his own technique, he had the responsibility of leading us both through the complex routine of a breathtaking dance. Although it was a joint, cooperative effort, he was ultimately in charge. As a person used to taking the lead, being the follower in this partnership was challenging for me! I didn't always approve his choices, but I understood my role, and knew that it was just as important as his.

 

I recently met Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley, in association with my work with Olympics 2016. As we shook hands, I realized that although I am the leader of a company in my professional life, I also welcome the role of energetic follower when it comes to making our great city even greater.

 

Children often complain to their parents, "I can't wait until I grow up and can do anything I want, like you." It's only as we mature that we fully realize that choices mean responsibility, and how difficult it really is to be the one in charge. Still, as adults we sometimes wish we could always lead in our professional and personal lives. It's important to remind ourselves that in any organization, it takes a cooperative effort between leaders and others to accomplish goals.
 
It's sometimes pointed out that CEOs and political leaders receive credit for the efforts of those who work for them, but it's also true that a leader is the first one to be blamed and judged when things go wrong. Leaders are - and should be - held to a different set of standards.
 
No leader can please everyone at all times, and that is not a leader's job. Instead, he or she must balance all the different aspects of the organization, seek out bright and talented people to work together, and use all the resources at hand - including ideas of others - to make decisions that seem best for the organization. Of course, every leader makes mistakes, but we each must act according to his or her wisdom and experience, and try to learn from any missteps.
 
As a silent follower on the ballroom dance floor, I forgave my partner when he led us too close to another couple. As CEO of Russian Pointe, I search for the wisdom and knowledge to lead and develop the company. As a citizen of Chicago, I support and help Mayor Daley to implement his vision and goals for the city of Chicago in national and global arenas.
 
In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, I read that a particular part of a CEO's job is to link the external world with the internal organization. I believe that this is true for leaders in all areas; it's a job they must do because without the outside there is no inside. An artistic director of a ballet company provides the vision behind performances that reach out to audiences. Parents interpret the outside world for their children, while preparing them to enter the world as adults. A CEO is the public image of the company, without which it would not exist.
 
Perhaps the keys to all leader-follower relationships are cooperation and communication. As we play our roles as leaders, we must hear the ideas of those working with us, at the same time that we acknowledge, accept and enforce our greater responsibility. As followers in many different situations, it is important to remind ourselves of the leader's role as a decision-maker and link to the outside world, and his or her greater burden of responsibility. With cooperation, communication and confident leadership, any organization has its best chance of success.

 

Aleksandra Efimova, President