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Dear Friends and Clients,

Most of us are called upon to be leaders in some situations, but are cast as followers in others. If you're a CEO, for example, there may be boards, or committees, or councils where you are called upon to be an effective follower.

And yet there is something in our culture that makes us reluctant to think of ourselves as “followers.” Therefore, we seldom spend much energy on learning how to follow our leaders in a powerful way.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about the art of following because I've affiliated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates, which provides training not only in leadership but also in followership. ECCA President Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Follower, a classic work on creating an environment where leaders not only are vigorously supported, but also are sometimes challenged for the greater good. In this issue, I'll borrow some concepts from Ira's book, and talk about the basics of following in an effective way.

Warmly, Bev


Follow Like a Leader and
Lead by Modeling Followership

March 7, 2006 * Number 33

We seldom enjoy or excel at the parts of our work that we regard as insignificant. We accomplish more, and have more fun, when our projects seem important. And so we jump to the challenge when we move into a leadership role, but we may feel less eager when the question is: How can we better support the boss?

Each of us can stimulate the joys and rewards in our work life by consciously managing not only our role as leader, but also our contributions as follower. If we take responsibility for the quality of our following, we'll make a bigger contribution and find a broader range of satisfactions.

An example can illustrate the way that effective leading and following are intertwined. Let's say that you're a vice president, and you enjoy leading your talented, energetic work group. The senior vice president to whom you report is lazy and ego-driven, but you minimize the annoyance by ignoring him as much as possible and concentrating on managing your own strong team.

One problem with this strategy is that you need a strong SVP to maximize the impact of your group, but by withholding your active support you are undercutting your boss’s effectiveness. Also, in treating the hierarchy without respect, you are modeling a kind of followership, and your own management tasks will become harder if members of your team follow your example.

For organizations, the importance of encouraging powerful followership goes beyond fostering productive working relationships and fully engaged workers. One of the lessons of the Enron era is that where strong followers are encouraged and heard, leaders may be saved from the effects of serious missteps.

According to management consultant Chaleff, empowered followership requires an understanding of:

  • The leader-follower relationship, including:
    • The source of our power as followers, such as our special knowledge or expertise, the trust we have earned, and the network we have built;
    • The goals of our organization, and the mission that we all share; and
    • The tools by which the leader can move the group forward toward achievement of its mission.
  • The roles and challenges of our leaders, including:
    • Their contributions, both to the group and to their followers;
    • The stresses that they face, including pressure from stakeholders, shareholders, competitors and the press;
    • The support system that can help them to grow, to meet challenges and to serve the common purpose; and
    • The ways that they model followership skills and strengths, like empathy, flexibility and openness to feedback and change.
  • The dark tendencies of power, like the temptation to block out bad news and negative feedback.

    According to Chaleff, a central problem in the leader-follower relationship is its tendency to become a traditional parent-child relationship, where the follower is dependent and unable to approach the leader on an equal footing.

    “Courageous followership,” Chaleff says, is built on a different, more contemporary model of leadership, where both leaders and followers orbit around a common purpose. Courageous, effective followers are more likely to be found where leaders share power, invite feedback, and drive the fear out of their organizations.

    Chaleff says that there are four dimensions in which a courageous follower operates within a group, and a fifth dimension in which the follower may find himself outside the group, depending on the response of the leader. Courageous followers have:

  • The courage to assume responsibility, not only for our own growth and actions, but also for the organization;

  • The courage to serve, which may require taking on hard work or new responsibility in order to unburden a leader, and might also mean standing up for our leaders and the tough decisions they have to make;

  • The courage to challenge, which can involve speaking up when a leader’s behaviors or policies undercut the common purpose;

  • The courage to participate in transformation, which means embracing real change, even when we don’t want it; and

  • The courage to take moral action, which can mean taking a value-based stand which differs from that of the leader or the group.

    		•

    Want to Read More About
    Courageous Followership?

    Below is a brief book review, as well as links that will allow you to buy the book directly from Amazon.com. For reviews of other helpful books, along with Amazon links, go to: ClearWays Books and Services.. If you buy a book this way it will contribute to the cost of distributing Bev’s Tips, and be much appreciated.

    The Courageous Follower – Standing Up To & For Our Leaders, by Ira Chaleff, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., Second Edition, 2003.

    This is the updated edition of an important book about business transformation and modern, wholesome leadership.

    It’s not difficult to conceive of appreciating followers who find new ways to support you, the leader. But you should contemplate the problem, Chaleff says, of having staffers who admire you so much that they don’t want to tell you anything negative, like when you:

    • misspell the name of your most important client,
    • violate a key cultural norm of the international VIP you’re hosting, or
    • are about to sign off on a financial statement where there’s a serious flaw that could land you in trouble.

    Leaders should ask themselves whether they really want courageous followers. This book provides ideas about how to get them.

    Click here to buy this book.




    Want to learn more about leadership issues? Bev offers executive coaching and leadership consulting, and is available to speak about a broad range of issues related to your work life. Visit her website at www.ClearWaysConsulting.com or email to Bev directly. Bev is associated with Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates, of which Ira Chaleff is President.





    Bev’s Tips for a Better Work Life is published on the first and third Tuesday of each month by Beverly E. Jones of ClearWays Consulting, LLC.   Bev is a lawyer and former executive who now coaches accomplished CEO's, public afffairs executives, and other professionals to bring new direction, energy and enjoyment to their work lives.

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