Why Should I Follow You?
“Why should I follow you?”
That’s the unspoken question every team member is asking when a new leader steps in.
I still remember when I met one of my new leaders for the first time.
My current boss—someone I had worked with and for over a decade—was retiring. In came someone completely new. An outsider. From a different industry. We’d never met.
It was disorienting.
If you’ve ever gone through a leadership transition like this, you know the feeling: uncertainty, anxiety, curiosity. And that’s not just from the team’s side; leaders feel it too.
These transitions can go smoothly or they can be bumpy.
The key to setting the tone?
Being able to answer one big question from your new team:
Why should I follow you?
In my experience, that answer starts to take shape when you reflect on, and communicate, three deceptively simple questions. They create a powerful roadmap for starting strong, building trust, and showing up as a grounded, human leader.
Question 1: Who am I?
This isn’t about your resume. It’s about showing up as a real person.
Let the guard down. Share a bit about yourself. Your background. Your family. Your passions outside of work. You don’t need to overshare, but you do need to be relatable. People follow people they feel connected to.
Question 2: What am I about?
This is where you share your leadership style and expectations.
How do you like to work? What’s important to you? How do you give feedback? What do you value most in a team? Set expectations now so they’re not surprised later.
Let them know how to win with you, and how you’ll show up for them.
Question 3: Why should you follow me?
Let’s be honest: your new team has already Googled you.
This is where humble confidence matters. Acknowledge what you bring to the table. Share what’s prepared you for this role. But don’t make it all about you.
Make it clear you’re here to learn, too. That you don’t have all the answers. That success will come from shared ownership.
2 Melting Ice Cream Cones and a Hug
I first met my new boss by accident: at a check-in counter at a hotel during our annual company conference. I was sun-kissed from an afternoon walk, holding two melting ice cream cones, and completely unprepared.
But she knew who I was. She had done her homework. She smiled, said my name, and gave me a hug. (She told me she was a hugger. I confirmed I was too.)
That moment set the tone. Over the following days and weeks, we worked through these three questions—some through formal conversations, many through informal moments—and laid the foundation for a strong, trusting relationship.
Your Turn
If you’re stepping into a leadership role, here are some simple sub-questions to help you craft your own roadmap and clearly answer your team’s question:
“Why should I follow you?”
Who am I?
What’s something about my background that shaped me?
What values guide my life and work?
What do I enjoy outside of the office?
What’s a challenge I’ve overcome?
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about me?
What am I about?
How do I like to communicate?
What are my non-negotiables as a leader?
How do I define success, for myself and for the team?
What frustrates me, and how do I manage it?
How do I give and receive feedback?
Why should you follow me?
What experience prepared me for this role?
What results or milestones have shaped my career?
What do I hope we accomplish together?
What do I want to learn from this team?
Why does this opportunity matter to me personally?
You don’t need a script. But you do need to be clear, human, and intentional. Take the time to earn trust, starting with a simple question:
Why should I follow you?
