Leader Follower Relationship

The dyadic relationship expressed in the LMX theory is an explanation of the two person relationships formed between leaders and followers, within each of two types of groups; either the in-group-marked by high quality exchange relationships,

The role of the follower and the quality of the relationship itself are informally negotiated between followers and their leaders over time (Gils, Quaquebeke, & Knippenberg, 2009). Based on the LMX theory, leaders build a special relationship with an inner circle, or “in-group”, of followers, who often get high levels of responsibility and access to resources. The in-group members work harder and are more committed to task objectives. They are also expected to be totally committed and loyal to their leader. Conversely, other followers fall in the “out-group" and are given low levels of choice or influence. Aggression, sarcasm and a self-centered view are qualities seen in the out-group. The quality of the LMX relationship varies and is better when the challenge of the job is extremely high or extremely low (Graen et al., 1982).

The most relevant piece of Reicher , Platow & Haslan (2007 ) article in relation to my leadership role as it relates to followers is " one of the gang " . As the article indicates , group behaviour is possible due to individuals having a shared social identity (person's sense of self , defined by the group ) . This group identity binds the members together and allows for meaningful group behaviour . (Reicher , et al , 2007 ) In this respect to lead the group (1)in a meaningful way , one needs to represent the group or be seen as " one of the gang " . As I reflect on the leader-follower relationship (2)in a social identity context , I know I have put importance (3)on being one of the gang . I feel that it is (4)my (5)responsibility to represent

In other words in-groups include strong social ties to their leader in a supportive relationship characterized by high mutual trust. Plus, Leaders also use expert, referent and reward to influence. (pg432)

big picture of the organization and how the leader plans to move the unit forward. Effective

1. When discussing leadership and followership, there is often a split in personal opinion when it comes to which one is more important. Leadership and followership both offer unique benefits in their own right and have supporting factors, which give them the perceived appearance of being more important. The focus for this paper will be to advocate the importance of followership over that of leadership. This will be accomplished by addressing the pros of followership to include some core skills of followership and the effects followership has on the development of a leader. The expectation of an officer however, places a high amount of emphasis on leadership more so than that of followership. Given this perceived importance of leadership as an officer, an effective leadership style will be explained and how officers develop this particular leadership style. While leadership has a distinct presence within the professional work environment, followership is considered the underlying backbone in developing an effective high performing team.

Leadership is one of the most important aspects of any organization and Nation because it helps guide the people it serves, provide structure and organize the outcome of the company or group. The goal of any leader should be to properly motivate its followers to engage in productive and efficient tasks towards achieving their goals. In our society the media portrays leadership in sports and the military or often as Commander and Chief of Nation. Leadership is highly prevalent within these settings and is absolutely crucial to creating structured group environment and motivating individuals to work together to achieve the goals of the organization or group. The leadership and followership experiences I have encountered played an essential role

Understanding the dimensions of leadership that contribute to managing relationships effectively involves interpersonal relations and sensitivity to individualized needs of colleagues, team members, and the workforce in general. Emotional intelligence as a leadership competency is helpful in mitigating stress and resolving related conflict, which confounds experiences of motivation in the workplace. It is particularly relevant because of its correlation to relational leadership and the influence that it has on workers’ satisfaction. It is important for leaders to interact with an awareness of self and others in a manner that creates positive communication through appropriately modulated tones, allowing openness for exchanges, acknowledgment

A leader-member exchange relationship is between leaders and followers and the influences involved. the theory states that leaders form high-quality social exchanges with some members and low-quality economic exchanges with others that do not extend beyond the employment contract. With a high-quality relationship, the follower displays higher performance, satisfaction, commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior.

According to the leader-member exchange theory the relationship between leader and the member develops over a period of time.

In Real Communication by O’Hair et. al., leadership is defined as “the ability to direct or influence others’ behaviors and thoughts toward a productive end” (274). Power is typically correlated with leadership, due to the fact that the ability to influence others frequently involves possessing power over others. In chapter 10, O’Hair et. al. explain that “researchers have identified five types of power–legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, and referent” (274). Acquiring the knowledge of not only the existence of these powers, but also the meaning of these powers has provided useful insights into my own communication behaviors.

Jesus was the greatest servant-leader ever lived (Matt. 20.28). Followers noticed His qualities which inspired them to follow Him (Psalms 78:72). Therefore it seems followers desire not to follow-followers, however servant-leaders instead (Proverbs 29:2).

Growing up the saying, "Be a Leader, Not a Follower was something that was imbedded in my mind. So I did just that, being a follower was considered some sort of sin in my teenage mentality. Being a leader came with feeling superior along with having a great sense of pride. Encouragement for my children to be leaders verses followers is something I find myself reminding them of often. Even though I now consider myself more of a follower I've noticed as an adult I play the role of both leader and follower depending on the situation. At my place of employment I see myself as a follower but when I have my mommy hat on I see myself more as a leader. In both cases self-confidence plays a big role with how well each position is played out. My self-confidence as a leader/mother is much higher than that of a follower/employee. Either way I strive to

The Follower is a key component of the leadership balance, playing a key role in the leadership process (Baker 2007). The leadership process is affected by the expectations, capabilities, maturity, enthusiasm and personality traits of followers. Followers can be grouped into two groups, active followers who are independent, critical thinkers and passive followers who are dependant and un-critical thinkers (Kelley 1992).

Different attachment styles between leaders and followers are studied in a paper entitled Leader and Follower Attachment Styles: Implications for Authentic Leader–Follower Relationships in 2013. Attachment Theory is relevant to this study since authentic leadership argues that the leaders and followers are influenced by their personal histories. Attachment Theory states that individuals are influenced by both early developmental experiences and relationships later in life. How people interact with others leans toward three styles of attachment: secure, insecure-ambivalent and insecure-avoidant. The researchers argue that people who are securely attached are most likely to exhibit authentic leadership skills. Their research reviews how secure attachment is positively related to each of the four components of authentic leadership; self-awareness, relationship transparency, balanced processing and internalized moral perspective (Hinojosa, Davis McCauley, Randolph-Seng, & Gardner, 2014).