Followership
Followership is the practice of effectively supporting and following a leader within an organization or team. It is a dynamic relationship that is essential for the success of any group, as leaders depend on followers to execute tasks and contribute to the overall mission. Followership can be seen as complementary to leadership, highlighting that both roles are crucial for achieving goals. There are five basic types of followers: alienated, conformist, passive, pragmatic, and courageous, with courageous followers often regarded as the ideal due to their independence and ability to provide constructive feedback.
Successful followership is characterized by specific qualities, including a strong work ethic, competence, loyalty, good judgment, honesty, courage, discretion, and humility. These traits enable followers to perform their duties effectively while fostering a positive and productive environment. Furthermore, the relationship between followers and leaders is reciprocal; just as followers must embody certain qualities, effective leaders should be trustworthy, optimistic, compassionate, and stable. Understanding followership can provide valuable insights into team dynamics and organizational success, making it a significant area of study in leadership and management.
Followership
Followership is a concept that involves the ability of an individual to follow a leader. An individual who practices followership is called a follower. Followership often applies to particular roles in an organization or on a team. An organization or team has both followers and leaders. Followership can be thought of as the opposite of leadership. However, followership and leadership go hand in hand; the success of an organization or team depends on both followership and leadership. Five basic types of followers exist, although one of these is generally considered the ideal type. Additionally, both followers and leaders need to possess certain qualities for followership to work and to ensure the success of the organization or team.
Significance of Followership
People will often emphasize leadership over followership. Nevertheless, followership is just as important as leadership when it comes to the success of an organization or team. Leadership would not exist without followership. In other words, a leader cannot lead without followers.
Followership affects performance. Good followership allows followers to feel like an integral part of the organization or team, which helps them perform effectively. Good followership, therefore, breeds good performance. Good followership also leads to high morale among followers. Additionally, successful followership allows followers to focus on the goals at hand. If followership is lacking, then performance will suffer and the organization or team will not be successful.
Types of Followers
Followers generally fall into one of five categories: alienated, conformist, passive, pragmatic, or courageous. Alienated followers are individuals who are independent but are also negative and skeptical. They generally do not like the leaders of the organization or team and sometimes have confrontations with the leaders.
Conformist followers, or yes-people, are individuals who do exactly what they are told. They passionately support the leader and are completely dependent on the leader. They typically do not offer personal opinions.
Passive followers, or sheep, prefer to blend into the background. They usually do not think for themselves. Although they perform the duties asked of them, they do not go beyond those duties.
Pragmatic followers are practical in the workplace. They generally do whatever it takes to benefit themselves, sometimes manipulating others. They also try to limit conflict with people in powerful positions.
Courageous followers are individuals who are self-starters, independent, and take initiative. They are also skilled problem solvers. Like conformist followers, courageous followers support the leader. However, in keeping the best interest of the organization or team in mind, they also offer their opinions and even question the leader from time to time.
While leaders must determine which type of follower best suits their organization or team, courageous followers are typically the ideal type. Leaders should strive to hire mostly courageous followers.
Qualities of a Good Follower
Good followers should exhibit certain qualities or traits. Individuals who practice good followership have a solid work ethic, meaning they are motivated, attentive, and committed to their jobs. Successful followers should also be competent, which means that they should have the skills to perform the tasks the leader assigns. If a follower is incompetent, the leader is typically to blame. The leader should have been confident in the follower's competence before assigning the task.
Followers practicing good followership possess loyalty to the organization or team and its goals. Generally, it is more important for a follower to be loyal to the organization or team as a whole than to be loyal to a specific leader. Successful followers also possess good judgment, which allows them to determine whether directives given by a leader are right or wrong. Followers should follow the leader's directives only if they believe these directives are ethical and will benefit the organization or team.
Honesty is another quality of good followers. Followers should strive to give the leader their honest opinions and constructive feedback. Courage relates to honesty. Successful followers need to have the courage to confront a leader and voice their ideas or concerns. Similarly, followers need to be courageous in situations that require them to go above the leader. Still, good followers should also have discretion, meaning they avoid saying or doing anything that would embarrass or offend their organization or team. Indiscretion among followers can harm an organization or team. Lastly, successful followers should be humble and not allow their egos to get in the way. Good followers are team players and do not focus solely on themselves. These qualities can help ensure successful followership in an organization or on a team.
Followership and Leaders
Just as good followers must possess certain qualities, good leaders must exhibit specific traits as well. Good leaders are trustworthy. They must show their followers that they can be trusted and that they are always honest. Successful leaders also possess optimism, meaning that they fully believe in the organization or team's product or service. They should believe that the product or service will truly make a difference in the world. Compassion is another important quality of successful leaders. Leaders should care about their followers and empathize with them during difficult times. Lastly, good leaders possess stability. They must remain composed and confident when faced with adversity. Leaders who possess these traits will be more likely to attract followers.
Bibliography
Kelley, Robert E. "Followership." Encyclopedia of Leadership. Vol. 2. Eds. George R. Goethals, Georgia J. Sorenson, and James MacGregor Burns. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2004, 504–513. Print.
McCallum, John S. "Followership: The Other Side of Leadership." Ivey Business Journal. Ivey Business School. Sep./Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/leadership/followership-the-other-side-of-leadership#.VMZe4ixni9s
Peterson, Gary. "Leadership 310: The Four Principles of 'Followership.'" Forbes. Forbes.com LLC. 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. http://www.forbes.com/sites/garypeterson/2013/04/23/the-four-principles-of-followership/
Van Rooy, David. "How Followers Add Value to a Company." Inc. Mansueto Ventures. 8 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. http://www.inc.com/david-van-rooy/the-power-of-followership.html