Thanks for the question, Tyrone. There are a number of ways to look at followership so I will define it from my vantage point first. I do not mean blind following or simply, following the leader because, well...they are the leader. You need to fully understand what matters to them and the focus of their leadership. I also don't mean that just because you know what matters to them, you need to follow them--the "yes-people," if you will. So what do I mean?
Effective followership should look like this:
Fully understand the mission of the leader.
Ask questions and probe deeper.
If your opinion differs, SHARE IT, ADVOCATE for it, with passion and data.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, and here is where many miss the mark; once you have done the first three, once a decision has been made by the leader, even if you disagree, you get in line and support the leader!
My favorite part of followership is the power of the FIRST follower, by Derek Severs.
Thanks for the question, Tyrone. There are a number of ways to look at followership so I will define it from my vantage point first. I do not mean blind following or simply, following the leader because, well...they are the leader. You need to fully understand what matters to them and the focus of their leadership. I also don't mean that just because you know what matters to them, you need to follow them--the "yes-people," if you will. So what do I mean?
Effective followership should look like this:
Fully understand the mission of the leader.
Ask questions and probe deeper.
If your opinion differs, SHARE IT, ADVOCATE for it, with passion and data.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, and here is where many miss the mark; once you have done the first three, once a decision has been made by the leader, even if you disagree, you get in line and support the leader!
My favorite part of followership is the power of the FIRST follower, by Derek Severs.