Leaders Vs Followers Analysis

In life people have a lot of things that they accomplish and are very proud of. As of me I have set so many goals that I am very glad that I have accomplished. Becoming President of Black Student Union a club at my school was a really big accomplishment for me. I never thought that I would have what it takes to be a leader and to have people look up to me. I feel that ever since I was a freshman I looked up to the previous leaders and saw what they did for me to be able to be the person I am now. Lot of people always tell me I carry myself as a leader because I am very mindful of how I do things and react to them. I never thought of myself that way I knew I had the potential but I needed just a little more development. As a leader now I make

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

Being a leader was never my strong suit, but I often put myself in situations that required me to improve. I would frequently see my younger family seeking advice but were often discouraged since they felt uncomfortable asking their elders. This led to me becoming their mentor because I experienced similar issues first due to being a first generation student.

I believe that the quote “The wisdom of admitting your weakness and correcting them through continuous learning means leadership” by A. James, is about how we become leaders within our community. Throughout my life I have had struggles and experiences that have helped me become a leader.

I have always strove to be the person that others looked up to. I never knew how to do that though. Until one day, one of my friends, a person I idolized, became an American Quarter Horse Youth Association Director. Ever since that moment I knew how I was going to leave my mark, and expand as a leader. Becoming someone fit enough for this leadership role was not an easy task.

As a child, I never considered myself the leader type. I was the youngest, not only of my immediate family, but of my entire extended family as well, and to top it all off, I was quite shy. I was content with remaining this way and did so for many years. At the age of ten, my family moved to a different state which only increased my timidity. Inserting myself into new communities was difficult and I tried my hardest to remain in the background. One of these new communities was a local 4-H club—I did not know it at the time, but involvement in this organization would play a large role in shaping my leadership skills. My club, Rock Valley 4-H, was a fairly small group, but still large enough to make me nervous when it came to taking leadership positions. After a couple years of involvement, I found myself elected to the position of Secretary. As such, I was expected to sit up front at the officer’s table, record minutes, write meeting reports, and read those reports aloud at the next month’s meeting. When I first began my secretarial duties, I had my mother request that I be able to sit amongst the crowd to record minutes and that my reports be printed in the agenda. Contrast this with a few years later, where I was the President of the club, calmly and confidently presiding over meetings.

Growing up, I realize the important leadership roles that should be recognized in every day life. Leadership is an important part of one's self character because when someone sees you as a leader they tend to grow more onto you so they can be like you. Part of this statement fits a powerful quote i've always lived by while being around others. "It is the men behind who make the man ahead," this quote by Merle Crowell, fits the man I've molded into, simply because I have realized in numerous ways on how my actions can impact other people's actions. My parents always raised me to believe that what you put in is what you get out. So of course, I believe that if I make the decisions to be a follower of the wrong path, then wrong will follow me as well. Instead, I choose to take the golden path and promote a better outcome for my future and hopefully other's also. Sticking to the routine of a leader builds you into an even better leader. Being a better leader, makes me a better man each day that I choose this route as the leader of my path.

As a child, I wanted to be just like my mom; I would follow her around the house and attempt to help her with chores. If she was washing dishes I would be right there trying to copy her movements; first scrub, then rinse, and finally put away, that was the way each dish should be washed. As I grew older I also acquired some of her habits, at times I would find myself twiddling my thumbs when I was bored or biting my nails when I was nervous just as she had. In a way she led me to act a certain way, even if it was subconsciously. Good leaders do just that, they influence their followers and those under their command by setting an example whether they mean to or not.

Throughout my life, I have never really been a follower in the typical sense. While I have looked to people older than me for help and advice. In addition, I never really saw myself as a typical leader. What I mean by that is I felt that I was a leader by doing my own thing and not worrying about everyone else or being a part of a particular clique. What I realized by just going about my business is that my attitude attracted others in the sense that they knew I was about work and wanted to emulate my demeanor in order for to be successful in school. One time that I recall in which I had to lead a team of my peers was this past summer. I enrolled in a few summer classes in order to better prepare me for college. For one of my classes

I can completely relate to everything that you talked about. I tend to gravitate towards being the leader because I know that I will do a good job and turn things in on time. One thing that has been good for me to learn over the past few years is how to be a leader while being a follower. A strength that I know I have is that I am confident in myself and alot of times people who struggle with leadership just need someone who is confident to reassure them of what they are doing so they can learn to be confident in themselves. Although at times it is difficult for me to give control to someone else I know that the best leaders are also people who can be supportive followers.

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

A wise woman once said “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” These wise words were stated by the 32nd U.S. First Lady and civil rights activist, Eleanor Roosevelt. This quote has shaped the leader I am today and inspired my leadership philosophy. I believe a leader should always lead in a way that inspires others to be greater. As an older sister, I aspire for my sister to have confidence in me but also in themselves. This also applies to any leadership opportunity. I also believe that a great leader must also be a great follower. This has proven essential in my life and strengthened my leadership skills. My time as a follower has made me the leader

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

Chapter one portrays the importance on followers and provides some insight and labels different types of followers. Riggio et al (2008), provides examples on the various styles of individuals as followers, for instance, the sheep, the yes-people, the alienated, the pragmatics, and the star followers. Furthermore, these classes of followers provide a better understanding to leaders on why one performs in an organization.