You cannot pour if your buckets are empty. Similarly, you cannot lead well without first learning to follow well. In order to become a great leader, we have to be a committed follower and immerse ourselves in learning, service and emulation of the great values, traits, principles, philosophy of our leaders and mentors. Leadership is not about authority, rather humility, and we must first embody and demonstrate those traits though disciplined followership! This was one of the gems shared by our respected Mentor Ashif of Light Over Light Sdn Bhd in our recent workshop at Interport Group on High-impact Team Work. From my childhood, I was very lucky to be in the midst of great leaders (my parents, teachers, reporting senior and mentors) who demonstrated values of integrity, humility, sacrifice, giving, manners, courtesy, decisiveness etc and whom I had the great privilege to learn from! In the words of Michael Hyatt: I contend that if you want to be a great leader, you must first become a great follower. Although it’s rarely discussed, this is where almost all of history's greatest leaders got their start. Joshua followed Moses (pbuh) for more than forty years before he led the children of Israel into the promised land. Elisha served Elijah (pbuh) for ten years before he took up his master's mantle and went on to perform even more miracles. The Apostle Peter followed Jesus (pbuh) for three years—and made a lot of mistakes—before he and his fellow-disciples “turned the world upside down” (see Acts 17:6). I would likewise contend that history's worst leaders never learned to follow. As a result, they became tyrants, making the lives of their own followers miserable. I feel like I have only scratched the surface. If you want to be a great leader, begin by asking, “How can I be a better follower?” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eWpAudQr Umar, also followed the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) teachings to establish a just and equitable rule during his reign as Caliph and created a society where the rights of all, regardless of background, were protected. To clarify, we don’t graduate from followership to leadership – we cycle between both roles for life. However the moment we stop following (divine guidance, wisdom from others, self-improvement) our leadership stagnates, as Caliph Umar famously said, “Teach me, even if I am your leader!!” 
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