“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”― Aristotle
Does it ever occur to you to be a good follower instead of being a good leaser? Everyone is dying to become a good or even a great leader. There is a plethora of books on leadership skills. But, none is available on following skills. In today’s cut-throat competitive business arena, being a leader means a winner, while follower means a failure.
Everyone wants to be a success. And there is nothing wrong in it. It is considered a privilege to make key decisions and take the most credit when things go as planned. It can also be other way round when things go awry. It is an irony that being a leader is considered a panacea, while being a follower is usually considered anathema. Few people understands and yet still fewer people agree that to be a good leader, you first need to be a good follower.
It needs to be understood that to be a follower does not mean being one of the hundreds of subservient who mindlessly execute orders with blind allegiance. Gone are the days when followers were considered as slaves. Today’s followers are more pragmatic and enlightened like never before. They wisely decide who they follow and make followership as art of their learning. In an increasingly competitive workplace and in the presence of genie of social media, followers are more enabled.
In his remarkable book “The Power of Followership”, the author Robert Kelley used research to emphasize that leaders’ contribution to an organization’s growth and success is mere 20%. So, followers’ contribution towards the same is nothing less than 80%. It would not be an exaggeration to proclaim that good followers are as much necessary as good leaders.
Also read: Bring Out The Leader In You
So, what makes a great follower?
Here are four strategies that can be applied to make good followers and in turn make good leaders in making.
Consider yourself a leader in making: It is a good idea to consider yourself a leader-in-making instead of a follower. The effective followers know exactly what they are doing, what they should do and what they should not. They precisely know what they do not know. They are perpetually in pursuit of knowledge to improve themselves and in this process they become future leaders.
Team first: The good followers are selfless and they give priority to their team’s interest over their own self-interest. They know very well that they are neither better nor different from their teams.
Be confident and have confidence: The good followers never doubt their abilities and the abilities of their leaders. They are self-starters and they do not need to be told what to do or how to do it. Getting things done effectively and efficiently is their prime hallmark. Competency and confidence are the attributes every leader looks in his followers.
Do not follow a leader, follow his vision and mission: It may sound a bit intriguing. But, it is not. True followers wholeheartedly follow a leader’s mission or vision, instead of a leader himself. They fully understand that at the end of the day, it is the mission and vision that matter. It is not the personality of Steve Jobs that motivates the Apple Computer’s employees, rather it is the Apple’s mission of making great products based on continuous innovation and design that make them selfless devotees and followers. Followers’ morale boost when their personal agenda and goals are aligned with those of their leaders. Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, has rightly advised the leaders that “Lead by vision, not supervision”.
Having discussed above strategies of making great followers, an important question begging answer is:
Who wants to be a follower?
This is an obvious question as who wants to be a follower? Given the glamour and charisma attached with being a leader, who in his right mind, will aspire to become a follower. In a traditional or conventional mindset, leaders are assumed to be superior to their followers. Although, they are not. Leaders are not supposed to be superior to their followers and, by the same token, followers are not meant to be inferior to their leaders. It need to be understood that there is no exclusive knowledge base or skill set that is reserved only for the leaders. The knowledge, skills and opportunities are open to all. The only thing matters is one’s ability to pick them to their advantage.
From the very beginning, all our energies are channeled towards being a leader. Little attention, if any, is ever given to the importance of following. Can any project or task succeed or accomplish without selfless devotion of followers? Think of any discipline. Without followers, no army can achieve its strategic military goals. No major or minor sports event can smell success without dedicated followers. No business initiative can succeed if not supported by the followers. In fact, the list is endless. Imagine an organization full of leaders and empty of followers. No prize for guessing that that kind of organization is destined to doom instead of flourish. In a music orchestra, each instrument plays separately, but in the end music is synchronized. Similarly, each person has his own unique set of skills and characteristics. The role and responsibility of followers in any undertaking is irrefutable. Any piece of exemplary work is unthinkable without the contribution of followers. In short, followers deserve more praises.
The first step of leadership is followership: Being a follower or a leader has nothing to do with the sense of inferiority or superiority. There is an undeniable value in followership. It is unfortunate that, as a society, we could not inculcate the importance of followership in the young masses. Whether it is Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, none of them become visionary leaders solely on the strength of their own efforts. It is the result of their team efforts, which made them what they are today.
Leadership skills are not enough to succeed: In order to create a high-powered effective organization, it is essential to stop vilifying followers. Just as the two sides of a coin, leader and follower are inseparable. This interdependence matters a lot. Neither is in a position to bring structural change in any organization without the support of other.
Followers make leaders: For assessing others for good leadership, it is imperative to look someone for being a good follower. Being a follower teaches you to respect someone else’s opinions. Those, who demean followership, cannot value you owing to their undue sense of superiority. However, those who value their followers become the best example of good leaders. The good followers make good leaders as they view the people they lead as their equal.
In a nutshell, it can be argued that there is nothing wrong in being a good follower. Being a good follower does not mean a degrading or humiliating thing. It is a good policy to be a follower with a leadership intent. What you learn as a follower will add value in your preparation for becoming a good leader.
