What’s a leader without followers? “A leader with no followers is someone taking a walk, who happens to be highly delusional” (Turner, 2008). I saw this quote while reading a blog on the subject of followership. It is funny how much information you can find on what it takes to be a great leader and yet when you want to research how to be a great follower Google seems to “look” at you perplexed on why you would search such a thing. Followership is an important component to any good leader. If a leader does not have followers he/she is just “taking a delusional walk.” Followership is simple defined as “the capacity or willingness to follow a leader” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). I would in fact argue that it is both the capacity and willingness to follow the leader. The relationship between a leader and their followers is critical in order for any goal to be obtained.
There has not been much research done into the importance of the role of a follower. Followers are the individuals that do the work of the leader in order to reach the goal of the team. One theory that takes a look into this relationship is the Leader-member exchange theory (LMX). LMX focuses on the interactions between leaders and followers and understands that it is these interactions that are the center of the leadership process (PSU WC, L1, p. 7). Under this theory leaders differentiate their followers based on their perception of their follower’s competence/skills, trustworthiness, and motivation to assume greater responsibilities (PSU WC, L11, p.7). Leaders then treat those with “high-LMX” differently than those with “low-LMX”. Those with “low-LMX” are more likely to be part of a transactional relationship with their leader. These types of interactions do not create a harmonious relationship between leaders and their followers. It is because of this that leaders are looking for followers that have “high-LMX.”
How does one find or foster followers with “high-LMX”? One way is by using servant leadership. Servant Leadership puts the emphasis on the needs of the followers (PSU WC, L1, p. 7). If the needs of the followers are met than it is more likely that the relationship and interactions between leader and follower will produce an increase of LMX from the followers.
One could argue that any good leader is in turn a good follower. I read an interesting blog while researching followership. The article explained that every great leader had to be a great follower to succeed (Bailey, 2013). His explanation was so simple I don’t know how I had never thought about it before. All leaders have their own leaders. Think about it. My boss has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss. If my boss was not a successful follower he would not be in a role of leadership for very long, right? This argument made total sense to me. Bailey goes on to mention what, from research he’s conducted, makes a great active follower (an active follower is described as a follower who is enthusiastic, intelligent, and self-reliant) (Bailey, 2013). An active follower is self-managing, committed, competent, and courageous (Bailey, 2013). Self-managing refers to being able to think critically and control their actions (Bailey, 2013). Committed followers are committed to the goals of the team and organization. Competent followers have the skills and knowledge that they need to accomplish the goal of the team and organization. Courageous followers are not afraid to stand up for their beliefs, even when they differ from the leaders (Bailey, 2013). This idea of courageous I found particularly interesting. A good leader knows the importance of followers that will stand up and have their voice heard even when the view is opposed to that of the leaders. However if the leader exhibits a great deal of the dark side personality of narcissism they are likely to see courageous followers as insubordinate. Interestingly enough these traits could be applied to good leaders as well. In fact, the traits line up pretty well with the five major leadership traits in our text (Northouse, 2013).
Leaders and followers share many of the same traits. This makes one wonder about such century old theories as the Trait Approach. If traits are shared between great leaders and followers aren’t the traits more of great team building traits? Bailey’s blog quoted a leadership researcher, Robert Kelley, saying, “Effective followers and effective leaders are often the same people playing different parts at different hours of the day” (Bailey, 2013). So maybe the emphasis that LMX has is right. Maybe the reason why leaders and followers with a “high-LMX” relationship work so well is because they are a cohesive team and the lines between leader and follower are narrower. So what is a leader without followers? Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” (Goodreads, 2013).
Resources:
Bailey, C. (2013, September 2). Why every great leader is also a great follower [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://danblackonleadership.info/archives/3997
Goodreads, Inc. (2013). Quotes About Teamwork. Retrieved September 8, 2013, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/teamwork
Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2013). Followership. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/followership
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). PSYCH 281 Lesson 11: Leadership. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych281/002/content/11_lesson/07_page.html
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 1: Introduction to Leadership. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa13/psych485/002/content/01_lesson/07_page.html
Turner, B. (2008, August 16). A leader with no followers [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://pastorbobturner.blogspot.com/2008/08/leader-with-no-followers.html