Being a Good Follower

Not discussed in a leadership course is the nature of a good follower.  We have talked at some legnth about getting the right people on the bus but I’d like to suggest that first, before one can be a good leader, one must be a good follower and be the right person on someone else’s bus.  If anything, this class has shown that good leadership is a joint effort between the leader and the team.  The leader is responsible for building the best team, setting the goals, providing the direction and framework and then helping move the group forward.  The team is reponsible for taking direction, moving forward with the goals and vision and doing the work essentially.  In order to be a great leader though I believe that  one must  know what it is like to be led, to know what it is like to take direction, follow somneone else’s vision, manage challenge, defeat, dissention, success, pride and resolution.  The “trenches” are different from the leadership roll and it is crucial to understand the trenches before you lead the team. It will make your job so much easier if you can.

A good follower takes direction, is confident enough in her work to offer suggestions when appropriate and is not insecure.  Insecurity can lead to rejection of direction and hurt feelings when the team makes a decisons against one of her ideas.  The traits of a good follower are similar to those for a good leader; humility, dedication, good ethics, goal orieneted nature, self-awareness.  The difference between a good leader and a good follower is the role on the team, not much else.

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