A Brief Note On The Power Of Followership Essay

Feedback is provided in relation to the assessment criteria (box on left) that were given to you with the assessment specification.

Category 8 is very similar to Category 7, and further reveals my strength in working with others and considering the input of others. I always value and seek out the insights of others, and encourage others to express their opinions. The area of Category 8 where my score is weak is “I am creative in searching for new and better ideas and solutions.” I do have difficulty thinking outside the box for alternative solutions to problems, which makes my openness to the input of others especially important. I often benefit from seeking the advice of others and listening to others, as ideas that I have not previously considered are presented to me.

Effective leaders interact with their followers in a positive manner to learn about them on a personal and professional level (Colorado State University – Global Campus, 2016). The United States Coast Guard (USCG) refers to this type of communication as deck plate leadership. Deck plate leadership blends an interest in junior personnel’s professional development and well-being (Smith, 2010). Often, before one becomes an effective leader they participate in a follower role. The level of follower engagement may be a precursor to the type of leader they later will become. Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) C. MacInnes is the Executive Officer (XO) of Enlisted Personnel working directly for the commanding officer (CO) at the USCG Academy in New London, Connecticut (http://www.uscga.edu). LCDR MacInnes oversees several divisions at the Academy, meaning he has numerous direct reports. He is an example of a person in a leadership and followership role.

The Expectancy Theory of Motivation (hereafter “The Expectancy Theory”) is theory that states: “the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.” (Robbins & Judge, 2012) The theory is among the most widely accepted theories relating to motivation. (QuickMBA, 1999-2010)

In addition to completing the Strengths Based Leadership assessment, I completed Robert Kelley’s Followership Survey. According to the survey, I am an exemplary follower (Kelley, 1992). According to Kelley (1988), exemplary followers, or effective followers, mange themselves well and are courageous, honest, and credible (p. 144). These types of followers are additionally committed to the organization and to a purpose, principle or person outside themselves (Kelley, 1988, p. 144). Lastly, exemplary followers are independent thinkers who act on their own initiative, engage actively when working in a group and provide constructive input (Kelley, 1988, p. 144). Another assessment that I completed was the Authentic Leadership

My listening skills could be improved. I am sometimes too keen to ask questions when a person has not finished speaking and my need to plan and “put things into neat boxes” can feel imposing on people with different learning styles and very creative personalities. I also have a tendency to write extensive notes in meetings and 1-2-1’s in order not to miss anything and to record peoples responses correctly – this can, however, come across as my being disengaged from the conversation and “not taking on board what is said”.

Listening is often confused with hearing. This serious misconception can lead us to believe that good listening is instinctive. In fact, good listening is an active, sophisticated process – a learned behavior – that demands focus and attention. Listening takes place on

There are two kinds of people in this world, Followers, and leaders. Followers are the people who never take a leadership role in any activity. However, leaders are the ones that use their leadership skills to make a difference in this world, Only one out of many can truly play the role of being a leader. Though there are a lot of people who try, very few are successful in leadership. Leadership is not something you can learn from a book, but you have to gain this skill through experiences such as holding an office, organizing an event, or speaking in front of a crowd. For me, leadership means being able to put myself in challenging situations to achieve my goals, and, at the same time, inspire and motivate those involved in the same mission as I am. Leadership is also a clear understanding of one's destination, knowing where one is now, and taking the step in the right direction. Many factors can cause people to criticize your leadership, therefore one must be fair towards the people who they lead. Personally, I had to learn the hard way, being in a male-dominated country as Libya made me push myself harder to get

There are several methods to achieving effective listening. Concentrate on what others are saying. Make yourself shut out other challenges facing you and simply listen. Don't allow yourself to do other things as you listen, such as answering the phone, doing paperwork, or checking your e-mail. Effective listening is difficult and requires all of your attention and effort. The listener needs to focus on what is being said so they will not misinterpret what the speaker is trying to say. Paraphrase or rephrase what the speaker was saying in your own words to ensure that you heard the information accurately. It is important to

This five-step process begins by creating a definition for what it is we are addressing as disciples. It’s important to ask the question “what is…” because it helps us distinguish from other topics that are closely related. For example, if we are talking about what discipline is, we would want to distinguish if we are speaking about the punishment of a child, the act of training in a habitual manner, or a branch of knowledge. Our world is a very complicated, intricate, and interwoven place. Though people often want things to be straightforward, they’re not always that simple. It’s important to define exactly what we’re talking about in order to understand the topic as clearly as possible.

The concept of followership has existed for decades, but only in relatively recent times has the idea received more attention. The dictionary definition of the word followership is “the capacity or willingness to support a leader”.

Listening is an important form of communication. Unfortunately, many people who do not know how to listen believe they can listen well. They often say "I have been doing this all of my life of course I can listen". Listening is not inherited, or a personality trait, it is a skill that must be worked on and practiced.

Before Golen’s study, no studies determined factors of barriers to effective listening, but many studies showed factors or groups of similar listening behaviors. A study of 127 college students, done by Barker, Watson, and Kibler (1984) found that delivery, credibility, speaker’s voice, interestingness, understandability, and clarity were used to determine speaker effectiveness by listeners.

Listening is more than just hearing. The process of listening involves receiving and constructing meaning, and responding to verbal and/or nonverbal messages. In other words, listening is not always easy and being a good listener is all about developing listening skills. To receive messages appropriately we have to listen actively. Active listening can be broken down into three important skills; first of all you have to reflect the feelings that the person is communicating, secondly reflect the content that they are communicating and finally ask good, meaningful questions.

These elements of the expectancy theory encourage or motivate people to better their performances and efforts to their work due to the rewards they expect to receive in