GOOD FOLLOWERSHIP

There are so many books on the shelves and markets on leadership and not much work has been put out there on followership. Many seminars are held to discuss leadership without ever touching on followership; whenever they do, they gross over it as if it’s not equally important. You cannot be a great leader unless you’re a great follower. Great leaders cannot be great leaders unless they have great followers.  It’s equally difficult to be a good leader without having good followers. To follow, people must feel confidence in the direction in which the leader is headed. Leaders know that, to actually lead, they need to attract people who will follow them. Even though we all are called to be leaders in some sort, in the environment in our life – self leadership, but not all are called to be leaders. Followership is the crucible of leadership. You learn leadership by being under someone else who leads.

Definition of follower: Literally, a person who supports and admires a particular person or set of ideas; a person who moves or travels behind someone or something.  It could mean a person or thing that follows another. It describes a person who follows another in regard to his or her ideas or belief; disciple or adherent. A person who imitates, copies, or takes as a model or ideal: He was little more than a follower of current modes. Follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another. An evangelist and his followers’ adherent suggest a close and persistent attachment. A true leader influences others to be their best. … Likewise, anyone can become a follower, even while holding a leadership position. If you’re a slave to the status quo, lack vision, or don’t motivate everyone around you to be their absolute best, then you’re a follower.

Followership is the actions of someone in a subordinate role. … The study of followership is an emerging area within the leadership field that helps explain outcomes. Specifically, followers play important individual, relational, and collective roles in organizational failures and successes. It can also be considered as a specific set of skills thatcomplement leadership, a role within a hierarchical organization, a social construct that is integral to the leadership process, or the behaviors engaged in while interacting with leaders in an effort to meet organizational objectives.   As such, followership is best defined as an intentional practice on the part of the subordinate to enhance the synergetic interchange between the follower and the leader.   In organizations, “leadership is not just done by the leader, and followership is not just done by followers.”  This perspective suggests that leadership and followership do not operate on one continuum, with one decreasing while the other increases. Rather, each dimension exists as a discrete dimension, albeit with some shared competencies.

Many people elect someone to lead them and they slake behind as if they have no more jobs to do. The elected leader will be chasing them for support and responsibility. They are people who may be good followers who do not make good leaders or even want to be leaders. Even more, they are people who think they were born to lead and are too good to be followers. Surprising, the skills that make good leaders, make for good followers. Barbara Kellerman in her book, Followership stated, “We over estimate the importance of leadership and underestimate the importance of followership.” She opines that, “Thinking leadership without thinking followership is not merely misleading, it is mistaken.” She added, “Being a good follower doesn’t make you a sheep.” Most of us play followership role in our families, social circles, church families or other settings. In another presentation, Barbara Kellerman acknowledged significant shift in technology and culture that has changed the dynamic, giving followers more powers. Followers can make or mar the leader’s influence in determining if and how goals are accomplished. “Good followers support and aid the leader when he/she is doing the right thing and stand up to the leader – having the courage to let the leader know when he/she is doing something wrong or headed in a wrong direction.” – Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D.

Kellerman describes four (4) types of followers: i) Bystanders, ii) Participants, iii) Activists, and iv) Diehards. She added, “Followers are us. This doesn’t, of course, mean that all of us follow all the time – Sometimes we lead. But all of us follow some of the time. It’s the human condition.”  Barbara Kellerman advocates:

• While followers may lack authority, but they do not lack power and influence,
• Followers can be agents of change
• Followers ought to support good leadership and thwart bad leadership
• Followers can create change by circumventing their leaders and joining with other followers instead.

Good followers enable leaders to accomplish great things. While the leaders provide the vision and direction, the followers provide the motile power. Good followers composed of supporters and team members who came in a wide variety of personal characteristics among them are loners who cannot get along with anyone. Some followers are so selfish in their thinking and do not support any idea that differ from theirs. Some of them were once leaders who failed in their leadership approach and style and now form part of the crowd – a dog in the manger. They do not see anything good in other people’s opinion. They are no team players and lack love and respect for good leadership. They are quick to criticize and oppose good leaders who are determined to play to the rules and make positive changes; form cliques and pressure group and hold meeting behind closed doors before the meeting. They are neither loyal nor dedicated.

Ways to be good followers:

• Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
• Be a good team player: have the ability and pleasure of working with other people in a team or any other social group. Be a great peer. Be one whom leader can trust and depend on being in a certain place or doing a job.
• Be able to understand and communicate with leader and other team member. Give your leader information from which good decisions can be made. Learn not to bring problems to a leader but solution. Always try to provide answers not questions. Leaders look out for initiative in their subordinates.
• Be committed – Give your best effort and time towards completing the work assigned to you, knowing it reflects not only your efforts, but that of the leader and entire team. Ensure you do whatever you say you’re going to do – a person of your word. Know your strengths and limitations. Fix any problem you come across without caring you gets the credits.
• Be supportive – Be willing to come along with your leader and make a good team, bring useful insights, talents and resources. You may have skills the leaders don’t have and that make good completion. Avoid criticizing your leader behind his/her back. Don’t forget that whatever you say will get back to him/her.
• Love and Respect – Love and respect your leader. You may not like him/her or voted for your leader but the moment he/she become a leader, develop genuine love for his vision and determine to see it succeed. Remember he/she has been given the responsibility to lead, so be an encouragement as much as you can. Pray for your leader since he/she is not God and does not have all answers. Sometimes he/she may even wonder why God has chosen him/her to lead. Leadership is not easy.
• Be always prepared to embrace changes. Leadership brings changes in visions, policies and styles. He may not see things your way. Be ready and open for your ideas being challenged. Do your homework and gain insights on any course of action you intend to propose and anticipate possible questions. Always be open to see possibility in someone else’s idea. Embrace change.
• Love what you do and where you are. Life is too short to live in a shadow. If you do not love what you do, make a change or quit. Do not be a dog in a manger. If you cannot support your leader, learn to be quiet instead of causing disruption or leave gracefully.
• Admit your mistakes – Everybody makes mistake most times. When you make mistakes, own up to them and move on. Be accountable, don’t make excuses, finger pointing or act a loser.
• Be sensitive to other people’s wants and needs and to changes in their needs. Learn to listen very well, carefully and reason before you speak.
• Be honest and trustworthy – people tend to believe and want to associate and work with one who is sincere and honest; people they can trust. Your leader depends on your accurate information to make decisions and advice upper management based on the information you provide. Put in more an honest day’s job without neglecting the needs of your family.
• Praise and compliments – Everyone like praise or recognition for hard work. People are more attracted by praise than criticism and will be willing to make more contributions.
• Help leader to lead – Leaders lead, followers follow. Find ways to make the leader better in what he/she is committed to doing. Learn not to blame your leader for unpopular decision or policy; your job is to support and not undermine.

Traits of good followership:

Leaders and followers share many of the same traits. A follower’s qualities should complement those of a leader. Robert Kelley said, “Effective followers and effective leaders are often the same people playing different parts at different hours of the day” (Bailey, 2013). A leader really depends in having good followers. It is difficult for followers to have all the virtues but below is some traits that help to identify people with attributes of followership potentials.

• Awareness: Be aware of the needs of other people as well as their potentials. Read others and learn to understand what motivate and upset them.
• Diplomacy: Learn how to get along with those who have differences and how to consider their differences in dealing with issues especially those affecting them.
• Moral Courage: Learn to dissent when your leader is doing something wrong or headed wrong direction. Have the guts and strength of conviction to disagree without being disagreeable; to support when things are going right and speak up when something is wrong.
• Leadership is often praised to the detriment of followership. However, great leadership is often attributed to great followership. “It is the men behind who make the man ahead.” – Merle Crowell. “A follower shares in an influence relationship among leaders and other followers with the intent to support leaders who reflect their purposes.” – Roger Adair.

It is very necessary that followers should be as enlightened and knowledgeable as leaders, so as to offer alternating views, respectful disagreement and objective and constructive criticisms. Dynamic followers are not afraid to disagree with their leader but they must do so respectfully in private, with fact-based logic, and then support their leader’s opinion in public once a decision has been reached. They must be aggressive in nature but learn to channel it into positive aspects of their surroundings, while building teamwork, collaborating with coworkers in advancing the goal and objectives. Also they continually seek for ways to make positive changes. Such changes must decrease the time required, increase efficiency, improve structure or increase simplicity. Dynamic followers must avoid excuses and own up to their shortcomings and mistakes as well as learn from their mistakes. They must seek feedback – how their boss and peers feel about performances.

In conclusion, according to Followership: Secret to Military Leadership, “Dynamic Followers, simply, are followers who take charge of both their personal and professional development, ensure complete competency at their primary duty, actively manage their relationships and exercise independent thought with both professional restraint and respect. Dynamic followers, and leaders alike, always remember yesterday may have brought you to today, but it most likely will not carry you to tomorrow. To continue success, we must make positive changes to improve both individually and collectively. This is the simple secret to military leadership; deliberately development dynamic followers then allow leadership to develop as a result. Truth be told, there are not great leaders without great teams.”