Contingencies Online - November/December 2011

On Followership
LeADeRSHiP HAS BeeN DiSCUSSeD SO OFTeN in books and
papers that seemingly everything that could be written about it has
been written already. But i’m willing to add my two cents with a twist—
the need for high-quality followers.

Not everyone is cut out to be, or even wants to be, a leader. Some question whether it’s worth the stress or whether they have the ego needed to make key decisions (and face the adverse consequences and second guessing should those decisions be wrong). Often, it just seems like it’s easier to be a good follower.

But I believe that everyone is both a leader and a follower at the same time. Even a CEO has his or her investors. Spouses have each other. Even the president of the United States has his voters and his polls.

Good followers usually lead their boss-
es, intentionally or not, through means
that are both obvious and subtle. They
do this without taking on the undesirable
side effects of leadership (but also usually
not reaping all of its rewards).

When both the follower and leader recognize
and respect what each is good at doing,
pulling together as a team
and giving credit where it’s due,
the organization becomes
that much stronger.

be able to take orders but also has to be adaptable to the circumstance, keeping in mind what’s in the team’s best interest. In some situations, orders and rules morph into guidelines. In other types of organizations, there can be more freedom of action, but the effect is the same.

A good follower doesn’t have to be satisfied with taking orders, but should be able to recognize when the leader has it right. It’s also desirable to have the ability to enhance existing concepts, be curious or skeptical when appropriate, and create new strategies in a manner that is acceptable to the leader (and be able to understand if, at the end of the day, the old way proves the better option). In some areas of work, a good follower has the interest and ability to improve a product or service so that it works more efficiently or enhances customer satisfaction.

The follower influences—and in many cases is responsible for—the success of the boss, whether by taking well-calculated risks, by quantitative assessments, or through gut feelings. When both the follower and leader recognize and respect what each is good at doing, pulling together as a team and giving credit where it’s due, the organization becomes that much stronger.

Being a follower also can lead to becoming the next level’s leader. In a multi-level organization, the distinction is more obvious. A challenge facing any size or type of organization is enabling followers to exercise their followership skills. Some organizations unfortunately lack the ability to appreciate and recognize this.