Do you think of followers as submissive, weak, subordinate, passive or simply compliant? If so, you’re not alone. In our society, it’s leaders – not followers – who are seen as strong and willing to take a stand.
Ira Chaleff (http://www.exe-coach.com/ira.htm), consultant and author of The Courageous Follower, sees something different. And I think he’s hit the nail on the head. He defines courageous followers as group members who, regardless of their own leadership roles in the organization, also play active and committed follower roles in service to their organization’s mission. They stand up to and stand up for the organization’s leader and goals. Without them, an organization goes nowhere.
Think about it. For an organization to work, its employees, volunteers or members must follow the course set by the leader, according to Chaleff. A thousand people in a company can take leadership roles during different situations, but they cannot all be leaders for the same project at the exact same time without pulling the organization apart.
Chaleff is reframing notions of what it means to be leaders and followers. He appreciates the power and strength of those who follow (Followers have more power than they might recognize, he says.). And he envisions new roles and relationships for leaders and followers as trusting, collaborative partners.
Are you a courageous follower? The single most pointed question you can ask yourself, says Chaleff, is: If your leader, CEO, supervisor or manager tells you “no,” will you ask the question a second time?
Other considerations:
Will you risk speaking up for the good of your company? (Did you know that by doing so, a leader will often see you as a worthy partner?)
Do you present different views to your manager in ways he can hear or relate to the issues?
Do you create a climate that magnifies and appreciates your supervisor’s strengths (instead of backbiting?)
Are you “brilliantly supportive of the leader” before challenging her actions?
For more on Courageous Followers, see the articles: http://www.exe-coach.com/courageous.htm and http://www.a-ideas.com/TheIROasCourageousFollower.pdf or read the book:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/157675247X?ie=UTF8&tag=aide-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=157675247X
