A subset of leadership that is not often discussed is that of followership. "Followership refers to a role played by certain individuals in an organization, team, or group. Specifically, it is the capacity of an individual to actively follow a leader. Followership is the reciprocal social process of leadership." By implementing the concept of followership, a leader can improve the organization by instilling followers with a sense of responsibility to the organization and inspiring followers to be courageous in finding ways to make a difference. Just like leadership skills, followership skills need a solid foundation and a fostered environment to develop. In developing a followership concept, a leader needs to discuss the different …show more content…
However, just educating people in followership is not enough. Leaders need to empower followers by developing successful followership skills, such as courage and tactful methods to approach challenging situations. It 's important for followers to understand they have a responsibility to the organization to act when something is not right. Courage to act does not always come easy, so leaders need to foster a suitable environment for followers to be successful along with a coaching and mentoring plan. In the coaching and mentoring of followership, it also important to focus on effective communications. The approach a follower takes to confronting challenging problems, especially with superiors and peers, is the key to success. If a follower is not careful in their language and demeanor, they may not be perceived well. This can not only lead to failure in managing the current problem but it can also lead to the breakdown in confidence of the followership for future opportunities. Leaders and organizations need follower with candor but the success of a follower usually lies with the approach to the candor. Another good example of followership from the above-mentioned case study, involves a good use of courage and approach to solve an organizational issue at a peer level. After leaving a meeting with the brigade commander, LTC
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
To me “Leadership means leading people for positive outcomes”. An effective leader may have many aspects but the relationship that exists between a leader and their followers is one of the most important aspects of leadership which can determine the success quotient in any organization.
If you were to ask ten different respondents on what their definition of leadership is you are likely to get ten different responses. Gary Yukl defines leadership as “the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Guerrero, 2013). I wholeheartedly agree with Yukl’s definition of leadership. A follower needs to understand why they are given the task, explained how to complete that task, and given the proper tools on how to succeed in
Followership can be defined as the willingness to follow a leader, to work effectively as a team member, and exhibit loyalty to the leaders. Cadets exhibiting followership should not be afraid to ask for help from their leaders in order to improve themselves. When a follower feels the need to voice differences of opinions, it should be done so respectively.
Effective followership is an essential component of effective leadership in that, without good followers, the leader’s work is difficult and cumbersome. The role of the follower is many times understated. As illustrated by Kelley (1998), “effective followers are thinkers; energetic and assertive, self-starters, independent problem solvers, and carry out their tasks with these characteristics (p. 143). Effective followers also are characterized by their ability to perform tasks with little supervision, their intelligence, and ability to think for themselves. We are all followers, even those who consider themselves leaders; so to encourage this effectiveness in others; we must be role models for those under us, so that they may also be effective at following. Chaleff (2009) observed that “all important social accomplishments require complex
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
The current context of work, leadership, and followership is positioned in progressively multifaceted, uncertain, and dynamic business backgrounds with multiple realities founded upon various values, priorities, and requirements. The actual encounters demanded by globalization, amplified competition, far-reaching sociocultural and technological growths, and the acceleration of changes that are conveying new intricacies for organizations (Küpers, 2007).
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
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
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”.
The basic premise for leadership is the process of influencing other people to follow your lead in order to accomplish a goal. It is about the relationship between the leader and the followers. A good leader tries to motivate people to bring about positive changes revealing a common objective without using coercion or manipulation. Leadership is not about control, but permitting interaction and communication between the leader and the individual followers. With empowering others, leaders build a foundation of collaborative thinking and encourage an atmosphere of personal involvement; a leader can strengthen the respect and loyalty of his or her followers. Leaders can affect this process by applying their own personal characteristics, such
Over the years, a great deal of time, and research has been dedicate to the study of leadership. Even with extensive data on the topic, many still disagree on what leadership really means. Hence, leadership is a word that has many different meanings and different researched theories associated with it. On a basic level, leadership involves having and establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with followers, respecting followers, and leading an organization with excellence while ensuring that everyone is part of the team. Leadership is also a method by which a leader uses his or her influence towards getting a group of followers to take ownership or buy into a vision.
Leadership is about the interaction between the leader, the followers and the situation (Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy (2015, p. 15-26). If a given situation changes, the interaction between the leaders and followers can change dramatically. The leaders who understand well this interaction have a huge advantage because leaders are able to:
Riggio et al.’s book, The Art of Followership: How great followers create great leaders and organizations, published by Jossey-Bass assesses the various functions, which followers can navigate in an organization through his or her rapport with a leader. The book is divided among four sections, which are defining and redirecting followership, effective followership, the pitfalls and challenges of followership, and followers and leaders-research, practice and the future (Riggio et al., 2008). These following sections in this paper will discuss and summarize two chapters, which I strongly preferred and have experienced in the military.
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.