In Praise of Followers

In our zealous searching for better leaders we tend to lose sight of the people these leaders will lead. Not all corporate success is entirely due to leadership. The followers also an important role. At different points in their careers and even at different times of their working day, most managers play both the roles. Most of us are more often followers than leaders. Followership dominates our lives and organisations but not our thinking, because our preoccupation with leadership keeps us from considering the nature and the importance of the follower. But we can safely say that many a times a good follower makes a good leader. The qualities of a good follower are: 1. Self management 2. Commitment 3. Competence 4. Courageous Self Management Good followers are people to whom a leader can safely delegate responsibility, people who anticipate needs at their own level of competence and authority. They are more apt to openly and unapologically disagree with leadership and less likely to be intimated by hierarchy and organisational structure. Of course they also use a little diplomacy in manage their career i.e. stay attractive in the market place. Commitment They are committed to a something to a cause, a product, an organisation, an idea in addition to the care of their won lives and careers. And as commitment is contagious the morale at the work place stays high. Courage Effective followers are credible, honest and courageous. They establish themselves as independent critical think us whose knowledge and judgement can be trusted. Insightful, can did and fearless. They can keep leaders and colleagues honest and informed.

Cultivating Effective Followers Followership is not a person but a role and what distinguishes followers from leaders is not intelligence / character but the role they play 4 steps to cultivate effective followers are: 1. Redefine Followership & Leadership The qualities that make good followers and good leaders and the value the company places on effective followership and leadership can be articulate in explicit training. However the best way to convey this message is by example.

2. Honing Followership Skills Most organisations assume that leadership has to be taught but that everyone knows how to follow. A program of followers training can correct this misapprehension. By focusing on topics like self management, improving independent, critical thinking etc. 3. Performance, Evaluation and Feedback Instead of rating employees on leadership qualities such as selfmanagement, originality, rate them on these same qualities in both the leadership and followership roles and then evaluate each individuals ability to shift easily from the one role to the other. A variety of performance perspectives will help most people understand better how well they play their various organisational roles. 4. Organisational structures that encourage followership Unless the value of good following is somehow built into the fabric of the organisation it is likely to remain a pleasant conceit to which everyone pay occasional lip service but no dues. Thus we must now give importance to the existence of effective followers and try and develop or cultivate the qualities necessary to become an effective follower. Because after all is the followers who make the leader a leader by following him and run the organisation along with him.
Source : Kelley R. E. (1989) in praise of follwers: HBR 74-80