Being a strong follower often requires [...]]]> Text posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Being a strong follower doesn’t mean that you never ask questions, never make requests, never push-back, never disagree, never debate. Being a strong follower often requires that you ask questions. Just make sure they are good penetrating questions that help clarify the mission, strategy, tactics and the plan for execution.

Being a strong follower often requires that you make requests, especially if the requests are for resources necessary to carry out your part of the mission. Just make sure your requests are reasonable, clearly thought out, and in service of the mission. If your requests happen to be self-serving in nature, just make sure that in serving yourself you are also strengthening your ability, skill, or motivation to better serve the mission.

Being a strong follower sometimes requires you to push-back, disagree, and debate with your leader. Just make sure it is productive and helpful debate. Are you bringing relevant information to the table about which the leader and the team were not aware? Or is it a differing interpretation of the same information? Or is it the same information and the same interpretation, but you want to make clear that you would come to a different conclusion? Any way you slice it, make your point, but when the decision is made, it’s time to fall in line - if you want to remain part of the team.

Stay strong,
Bruce

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Maybe you are thinking, ”What about partnership? Isn’t that an alternative?”

For starters: The number [...]]]> Text posted Thursday, February 16, 2012
I always say, if you want to be part of an entity larger than yourself, you need to be a good leader or a good follower. Otherwise you are likely to find yourself being a bystander or a troublemaker.

Maybe you are thinking, ”What about partnership? Isn’t that an alternative?”

For starters: The number one reason why so many partnerships fail is when there is a lack of clearly delineated roles, responsibilities, and authority within the partnership. Successful partners consult and learn from and cooperate with each other. But they cannot always agree on everything. Ultimately a partnership must have a mechanism for making decisions in the absence of 100% agreement among the partners. That’s why large partnership organizations have a governing body like an executive committee.

Most successful partnerships are built on power that is NOT SHARED exactly but APPORTIONED in complimentary ways, ideally according to the strengths of each partner. One partner is good with computers, so she is in charge of the computers. Another partner is good with money, so she is in charge of the money. And so on. Often the ultimate test of a partnership, funny enough, is the ability of one partner to FOLLOW another, especially when they disagree. Of course sometimes partners balk and do not support each other. If that happens too many times, the partnership becomes less and less effective and will fail.

Stay strong,
Bruce

Indeed, authority relationships in most workplaces nowadays are complex and shifting. Some people answer to one boss Monday and another on Tuesday. Some have to balance the requirements of multiple bosses at the same time. Sometimes the chain-of-command is [...]]]> Text posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Management relationships must be a two-way street, at least two-ways, sometimes many more than two-ways.

Indeed, authority relationships in most workplaces nowadays are complex and shifting. Some people answer to one boss Monday and another on Tuesday. Some have to balance the requirements of multiple bosses at the same time. Sometimes the chain-of-command is not at all clear. And sometimes, even when the chain-of-command is clear, people can’t or won’t follow it, or they just don’t know how.

FOLLOWERSHIP is an issue that not enough people are studying and talking about. And it is definitely not something that is well taught in many places outside the military. Yet, good followership is absolutely critical to an effective organization, every bit as critical as effective leadership.

Why does leadership seem like such an obvious issue for study and discussion and learning, but not followership? Does everyone nowadays want to be a leader? Maybe people want the power that comes with leadership, but unfortunately not enough people accept the responsibilities that come with leadership.

What about the flip side? When it comes to followership, there is a lot of responsibility, but there is no power. In fact, there is an abdication of power. That’s why people often say to me, “It is clear that strong followership has benefits for the organization and its leaders, but what’s in it for the followers?” How about this: (1) Belonging to something larger than yourself. (2) Contributing to a clear and worthy mission. (3) Clear direction and meaningful feedback from someone more experienced, knowledgeable, skilled, and maybe wiser than yourself, at least when it comes to the mission of this particular team. (4) The joy of diligence, loyalty, and faith.

Of course followership, like leadership, is highly context-dependent. You might be a leader on one team and a follower on another. But if you are part of a team and you don’t know whether you are a leader or a follower, THEN WHAT ARE YOU? Beware! You sure don’t want to be a trouble-maker. And why would you want to be a bystander?

You don’t need to be a leader in every context. If you are not the leader, then oh, what a gift you can give, to your team, its leaders, and any constituency served by your team. Be a great follower! Know who to follow and know how to follow, and then follow proudly to the very best of your ability.

Stay strong,
Bruce

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