Leadership and followership are two sides of the same coin. However, one of these topics is more closely studied than the other. Leadership is studied in the halls of famous universities and discussed in various books and articles. Many of these discussions involve the same question; what makes a good leader? The question to this answer is both the cause, and the product, of excellent leadership, good followers. What a leader strives to create in the company can only be completed by a force of followers with the ability to realize the leader 's vision. So instead of asking what makes a good leader, it must first be asked what makes a good follower. As leadership and followership mirror one another, looking at the parallels between the two may help to answer this question. Leaders are meant to lead teams in an ethical manner in order to realize a vision for the company. Therefore, in order to support the leader, followers must be able to work in a team and help actualize the leader 's vision in an ethical manner.
As the leaders develop their grand ideas, it is the followers who actualize them, therefore it is necessary that effective followers have a conceptual understanding of their business (Antelo, 2010). They must be able to do the job. A welder would not expect a career ballerina to run a welding torch and a ballerina would never expect a welder to complete a pas de deux. A good follower must understand what they are doing. This is the foundation of a follower 's work.
2. Followership should be viewed as an active skill that must be developed in order to be considered an effective follower. According to the Air and Space Power Journal (Winter 2004), followership is considered a discipline that when viewed from a professional perspective is considered both an art and a science, requiring a balance between the development of skills and the understanding of followership roles within a professional
A follower must show integrity, therefore he must be honest. If a leader is trying to help you and you don’t tell him the truth, whether it be admitting that you don’t know how to do a stationary drill movement or you don’t like his leading style, then you have nothing to gain from him and he can’t help you. A follower must show respect. If an officer or NCO is placed above you then you have to follow his commands and listen to his orders, otherwise the leader-follower team accomplishes nothing. A follower must be willing to volunteer his time. A leader cannot shape his follower if his follower is constantly making excuses as to why he can’t be somewhere. If the follower never sacrifices his time so he can learn from the leader, then the leader’s efforts to teach ultimately fail. Last, a follower must have an extreme level of excellence. A good follower will listen attentively to his leader’s instruction, but a great follower will become his leader’s
In followership there needs to be a leader that inspires and bonds followers together as a unit moving in one direction. Today’s leader has to be more than someone that was placed in a position of authority, a person with a title and a higher salary level. A real leader is found when the behaviors and attitudes of their
Followers help leaders manifest their vision. Successful followers (supporters or team members) come in a wide variety of personal characteristics. There are people who may be good followers who do not make good leaders or even want to be leaders, but there are no good leaders who are not good followers. A good leader was once a follower. Without followers there is no leadership in any organization. Leaders can develop effective followers as followers develop effective leaders. The performance of followers and leaders of an organization are variables that depend on one another. Both roles are proactive together they can
As a good follower, I need to accept responsibility and I need to be aware of the tasks that I have to take on. I have to readily support my leader at all times and I should be able to voice my opinions to my leader in a very supportive way. Leaders can only lead an organization successfully if they have personalities that appeal to their followers. The individual reflection and big five
Leadership, followership, and management are all characteristics that should be found amongst all organization. These attributes can take place at any level in the workplace, including the bottom line. Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused, but they are both unique in their own ways. Followership is often overlooked in the workplace, but it is crucial to producing an effective product or service.
2. Leaders and followers of a group tend to have the same goal, but different roles in reaching their goals. The first principle that has really stuck with me is the concept of “authentic leadership” from the article provided to us. The authors discuss how it is becoming more common for followers to distrust their leaders, due to a lack and practice of core values, passion, and relationships by the leaders themselves (Smith et al 130). This stuck out, because in the past, I have been very goal-minded which has decreased my effectiveness. In order for leaders to be effective with their group they must become a more authentic person and leader meaning that they must: “know themselves, practice their values, balance motivations, support the team, stay grounded, and empower others” (Smith et al 133-138). I plan to apply all of these things to my leadership practices in order
In Module 6, Leadership and Followership, I found developing leadership power to be the most important concept. According to the Noncommissioned Officer Academy Distance Learning Course (NCOA DLC), Set B, Volume 1, “Your primary responsibility is influencing people under your care to accomplish the mission and leadership power is one of the most powerful tools you have for influencing others.” There are two types of leadership power, position power and personal power, understanding what they are and how to manage them will result in a more effective leader. NCOA DLC, Set B, Volume 1 states, “Position Power provides you with the authority to make decisions and requests based on your position within the organization” and “Personal Power is the extent to which followers’ respect, feel good about, are committed to their leader; and see their own goals being satisfied by the goals of their leader.” Knowing how to balance the two and find a common ground will help me develop into a well-rounded leader.
Followerfirst perspective somewhat contradicts Meyer and Slechta’s teachings. The authors stated everyone is always a leader. Their inverted pyramid theory proclaimed, when the leaders are at the bottom of the pyramid they become the servant (Meyers 2002, 18), as Jesus demonstrated while on earth. The leaders share knowledge and expertise from all levels up the organization, rather than letting it trickle downward. The inverted pyramid is symbolic of a deeper truth that everyone leads, at
One of the most important characteristics of a good leader and follower is having good communication skills. The two must communicate and be honest with one another. If the team of leaders and followers are honest and communicate well among one another then the team is almost unstoppable. As an employee or follower, you must be honest with your boss or leader about any situation. It is crucial for the leader to get appropriate feedback from the followers. For example, when being asked by employers about the job or plan give an honest but respectful response. A good follower should give the leader a precise judgement of plans and situations that the team encounters. Good followers are able to give
Though it is often forgotten, the concept of followership plays a very important role in the success of any group setting. For example, Steve Jobs may have founded and led Apple, but could not have achieved such success without the followers that worked under him. Our government, the education system and health services would not function properly without the support of the majority of their staff who are not in leadership positions. The job of followers is to make it possible for someone to lead.
While researchers cannot agree on what makes someone a good leader, researchers can agree that leaders are able to pass on the vision of an organization to others to feel a sense of ownership (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014, p.57). No matter which leadership style is chosen or displayed, an important concept to consider is the concept of servant leadership developed by Robert Greenleaf. Greenleaf cites how a typical Bible concordance lists over 1,300 references for “servant”, even though his essays on servant-leadership are not
Followers do most of the work and therefore deserve the lion’s share of the credit for a group’s success. And the old adage is true; There can be no leaders without followers. Leaders can retain their positions only if they have the support of subordinates. While leaders largely determine the ethical direction of organizations, this does not excuse followers from their moral responsibilities. Followers have a choice whether or not to follow a particular leader, to maintain the status quo or to work for change, to obey commands or to object, to draw attention to wrongdoing or to keep
While in the workplace you will encounter different personalities, followers and leaders. Both of these are vital to working and both are equally as important. A good follower is someone who shows support towards the leader, challenges constructively the leader or group’s behaviors or policies is they threaten the common purpose, and takes a moral stand when warranted to prevent ethical abuses. Followers also play a key role in critical thinking as they are termed the best critical thinkers in a group. Being a follower requires a commitment to the group to contribute within a collaborative environment. A leader, however, is a person that was a great follower for a very long period of time. Through following they have learned how to be friendly, learn social skills, and how to handle tasks and emotions. One vital trait that a leader must possess it trust. If a follower trusts a leader, then the trust within the group will increase. Teamwork chemistry will rise and this will, in the end, create a more efficient product. For a technologist, enforcing ALARA, demonstrating honesty and integrity, ultimately enhance patient care and express leadership qualities.
To have great leadership, there needs to be a leader-follower relationship. The relationship can’t be effective without inspiration, involvement, and support from both participants. To develop this alliance, the leader must give extra effort to reach out to followers. The only way a leader can be successful is if the follower trusts the leader. The most important characteristic of a leader is to set a good example for their followers.