A version of this article was originally published in two Australian educational leadership journals: Principal Matters and Leadership in Focus. My thanks to them for letting me reprint this article here.
In The Heart of the Matter, John Gardner, author of a number of books on leadership wrote "There is a vast literature of failure of leadership— on abuse of power, injustice, indecisiveness, shortsightedness and so on. Who will write the essay on the individual and collective failures of followers. (Gardner, p. 15, cited in Habecker,
p.83)
In my twenty-three years as a teacher and twenty as a principal, I’ve seen enough
examples of the failures of followers to recognize that as much as we need training for leaders, we need training for followers even more. The reason for this is simple, but seldom acknowledged; it takes as many skills to follow effectively as it does to lead effectively. Yet many leaders, and even more followers, assume that nobody needs training for following because following is easy and comes naturally—there’s nothing to it; just do as you’re told.
Most of us acknowledge in theory the wisdom of the prophetic quip that to assume
something will likely make an ass of u (you) and me, but in practice we often forget this
warning. And we do so at our own peril. For while it might be true that mindless submission requires little tutoring, that is assuredly not the case when we want to cultivate effective followers.
The key word that we must always emphasize when we talk about followers is the same key word we must use when we talk about leaders--effective. When followers follow effectively they help ensure that the leader leads effectively and the organization advances towards its goal; when they don’t, that usually results in the leader and the
organization failing.
What constitutes effective followership?
We must begin that discussion by acknowledging that effective following does not
entail being subservient. The zealot’s inclination to simply be submissive to the will of the leader serves neither him, the leader nor the organization well. Subservience may be what a despot requires, but it not what an effective leader wants or needs.
Effective followers know when to disagree with, as well as when to affirm the leader and his policies—and effective leaders respect that wisdom in their followers. Effective leaders know that it isn’t just the subversives and saboteurs in an organization who can cause the downfall of a leader; they understand that “yes men and women” can do it too — and perhaps even faster. How many examples of fallen corporate titans or deposed school leaders who were surrounded by compliant minions do we need to forcefully hammer that point home?
Effective followers know not only when to disagree with the leader but how to do it
without being disagreeable. They understand that they must always operate with positive intent toward the leader. They aim not to disparage or depose the leader, but to recalibrate his actions if his actions have strayed away from the purpose of the
organization or if they fail to address the realities of a situation. Effective followers also don’t resort to griping about the leader or his actions; instead they offer constructive suggestions to help get him back on track.
But effective followers do even more; they offer to help the leader and the organization improve. If, for instance, the leader is perceived as too controlling, an effective follower may offer to take over the chairmanship of a committee or team
allowing the leader to assume a more “hands off” role. If the effective follower has gained the trust of her leader, the leader knows that she will keep him abreast of important issues that the team or committee is considering.
Being an effective follower places other demands on an individual as well. Just as there are dysfunctional leaders there are dysfunctional employees—even groups of them. Those employees may adopt a “them” and “us” mentality regardless of how good a leader or a management team may be. To the employee with an oppositional mentality joining hands with leadership in pursuit of a common purpose is never an
option—“leadership has its purposes and we have ours.”
Early in my teaching career I was part of a teacher’s union whose two most prominent
voices had an oppositional mentality. For them working with the school principal or the
Superintendent wasn’t even an option to be considered; every decision was about circumscribing the school administrators’ power and enhancing the union’s. Consequently, our school district had by far more grievances filed for arbitration than any other district in the state. Effective followers must be prepared to confront dysfunctional behavior even when it occurs among their own colleagues.
What would an effective followership training program
cover?
It would certainly have to identify the positive behaviors of effective followers and
negative behaviors of dysfunctional ones. But even before that it would be wise for any group involved in such a training to come to consensus on a definition of an effective follower. Perhaps something like this: an effective follower is one who is able to work productively with leaders and colleagues to further the mission and purpose of the
organization while at the same time helping to ensure the welfare of all employees (all would, of course, include the leader).
Once the group has agreed upon a definition of the kind of follower it wants to be
cultivating, it can then proceed to identify and discuss what it believes are the characteristics of effective followers. A list of those characteristics might well
include the following:
Ability to see the big picture
Honesty, sincerity and trustworthiness
Loyalty to the leader, the organization and colleagues
Willingness to listen with an open mind
Ability to communicate effectively
Aptitude for working with others including leaders
A mindset that holds oneself as well as others to high standards
Even a cursory glance at any list the group develops is likely to convince the group that most of the characteristics that characterize effective followers are remarkably similar to ones that typify effective leaders. That explains why leadership gurus David Heenan and Warren Bennis can say, “Learning the secrets and skill of great No.2s remains the surest path to becoming No.1.” (p.19) In other words, in training people to be effective followers we will be training some of them to eventually become effective leaders.
Once they have identified the characteristics of effective followers, the group should
proceed to list and discuss the characteristics of ineffective ones. That list would surely
include:
Griping about what’s wrong but offering few suggestions for making things
better
Lack of genuine commitment to the leader and/or organization
Inability to appreciate the complexity of the leader’s job
Adopting a “them” vs. “us” mentality toward leaders & managers
Tendency to focus on the leader’s weaknesses and ignore his strengths
Failure to earn the leader’s trust
Unwillingness to confront a leader or colleague who is clearly wrong
Now that the positive and negative attributes of followership have been identified and
discussed, it is time to pause and use one of the most important tools of any learning
experience—self-assessment. Participants should confront this question: What is my status in each of the areas that we have determined constitute effective followership and in each of those that compromise it?
The facilitator might provide an assessment tool for this purpose (see Sidebar) or ask each participant to take a moment and write a journal entry describing which areas are areas of strength for her and in which ones she feels she needs improvement. This activity is a preliminary to the final activity—drawing up a personal improvement plan.
The Personal Improvement Plan
Once we accept the notion that learning to follow effectively is not something that
just comes naturally, it is easier to acknowledge that we must work to develop the skills that make such following possible--and to do that we need a plan.
There are many models a person might use to fashion a personal improvement
plan, but for the sake of brevity let me suggest one that Benjamin Franklin used and found both efficient and effective when he sought to improve his character.
Franklin identified a number of virtues that he believed lead to the development of good character: qualities like temperance, humility, resolution. In all, he identified thirteen. He then assessed himself in each of these areas and discovered where he
was deficient in each of them. Having done that, he devised a plan for tackling each of his shortcomings. He made a simple chart on which he listed each of the thirteen virtues as rows and the days of the week as columns.
Each week he would evaluate himself on how he had done on one of the chosen virtues by putting a check in the box on days in which he violated the virtue. He reviewed his charts weekly and monthly to assess his progress in reducing violations of the virtue. When he found himself deficient in an area at the end of a week or a month, he would develop a new strategy or recommit to a previous one for addressing the deficiency. For
instance, instead of using words which presented a fixed, inflexible opinion like “certainly” and “undoubtedly,” he determined to use less doctrinaire words like “I imagine” or “it seems to me.” (Dillon, p.p. 4-5)
Those who wish to improve their followership skills (and that should include even
leaders since they must be followers in some areas of their lives) could easily adapt Franklin’s plan to their own needs.
“The world, wrote Helen Keller, is moved not only by the mighty shoves of heroes, but
also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker” or, in other words, honest followers. But a compelling corollary to Keller’s observation is that a leader can be easily undermined or pushed in the wrong direction by the aggregate actions of dishonest or discontent followers. That is why it benefits everyone in a school or in any organization when that organization takes the time to teach the principles of effective
followership
References
Dillon, J.J. (2009) “Benjamin Franklin A Wonder-Based Approach to Life and Learning.” Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice. Volume 22, Number 4: 38-45.
Habecker, E.B. (1987) The Other Side of Leadership. Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books.
Heenan, D.A. & Bennis, W. Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships. New York:
John Wiley & Sons Inc
Sidebar
Effective Follower Self-Assessment
( 1 indicates least effective, 5 most effective)
1. I make a sincere effort to understand the big picture—the challenges that face
the school’s principal and the school system. 1 2 3 4 5
2. My own school goals are aligned with those of the school leader. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I have made and will continue to make a sincere effort to earn the trust and
confidence of my principal. 1 2 3 4 5
4. I constantly look for ways to make a positive contribution to my school and
school district. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I make an honest effort to listen closely and with an open mind to ideas
expressed by my school principal and my colleagues. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I work to make sure that I communicate openly, honestly and effectively with my
principal and my colleagues. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I am loyal to my school principal and school district leaders. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I am willing to confront my principal or my colleague when I believe s/he is
wrong. 1 2 3 4 5
9. When I confront someone I believe is wrong, I always do it in a way that I believe
will help them reassess their words or action, not in a manner calculated to hurt or embarrass them. 1 2 3 4 5
10. I refuse to adopt a “them” vs. “us” stance toward school leaders. 1 2 3 4 5
11. If I found that my personal beliefs and goals could not be reconciled with those
of the school leader and the school system, I would choose to leave my position
rather than to remain as a disgruntled employee. 1 2 3 4 5
Mike Connolly has worked as a high school, middle school and upper elementary school principal in urban, suburban and rural school districts in the USA and in international schools in Thailand, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Vietnam. He is the author of two books published by Rowman & Littlefield What They Never Told Me in Principals’ School, and Teaching Kids to Love Learning, Not Just Endure It.
:(www.rowmaneducation.com
p.83)
In my twenty-three years as a teacher and twenty as a principal, I’ve seen enough
examples of the failures of followers to recognize that as much as we need training for leaders, we need training for followers even more. The reason for this is simple, but seldom acknowledged; it takes as many skills to follow effectively as it does to lead effectively. Yet many leaders, and even more followers, assume that nobody needs training for following because following is easy and comes naturally—there’s nothing to it; just do as you’re told.
Most of us acknowledge in theory the wisdom of the prophetic quip that to assume
something will likely make an ass of u (you) and me, but in practice we often forget this
warning. And we do so at our own peril. For while it might be true that mindless submission requires little tutoring, that is assuredly not the case when we want to cultivate effective followers.
The key word that we must always emphasize when we talk about followers is the same key word we must use when we talk about leaders--effective. When followers follow effectively they help ensure that the leader leads effectively and the organization advances towards its goal; when they don’t, that usually results in the leader and the
organization failing.
What constitutes effective followership?
We must begin that discussion by acknowledging that effective following does not
entail being subservient. The zealot’s inclination to simply be submissive to the will of the leader serves neither him, the leader nor the organization well. Subservience may be what a despot requires, but it not what an effective leader wants or needs.
Effective followers know when to disagree with, as well as when to affirm the leader and his policies—and effective leaders respect that wisdom in their followers. Effective leaders know that it isn’t just the subversives and saboteurs in an organization who can cause the downfall of a leader; they understand that “yes men and women” can do it too — and perhaps even faster. How many examples of fallen corporate titans or deposed school leaders who were surrounded by compliant minions do we need to forcefully hammer that point home?
Effective followers know not only when to disagree with the leader but how to do it
without being disagreeable. They understand that they must always operate with positive intent toward the leader. They aim not to disparage or depose the leader, but to recalibrate his actions if his actions have strayed away from the purpose of the
organization or if they fail to address the realities of a situation. Effective followers also don’t resort to griping about the leader or his actions; instead they offer constructive suggestions to help get him back on track.
But effective followers do even more; they offer to help the leader and the organization improve. If, for instance, the leader is perceived as too controlling, an effective follower may offer to take over the chairmanship of a committee or team
allowing the leader to assume a more “hands off” role. If the effective follower has gained the trust of her leader, the leader knows that she will keep him abreast of important issues that the team or committee is considering.
Being an effective follower places other demands on an individual as well. Just as there are dysfunctional leaders there are dysfunctional employees—even groups of them. Those employees may adopt a “them” and “us” mentality regardless of how good a leader or a management team may be. To the employee with an oppositional mentality joining hands with leadership in pursuit of a common purpose is never an
option—“leadership has its purposes and we have ours.”
Early in my teaching career I was part of a teacher’s union whose two most prominent
voices had an oppositional mentality. For them working with the school principal or the
Superintendent wasn’t even an option to be considered; every decision was about circumscribing the school administrators’ power and enhancing the union’s. Consequently, our school district had by far more grievances filed for arbitration than any other district in the state. Effective followers must be prepared to confront dysfunctional behavior even when it occurs among their own colleagues.
What would an effective followership training program
cover?
It would certainly have to identify the positive behaviors of effective followers and
negative behaviors of dysfunctional ones. But even before that it would be wise for any group involved in such a training to come to consensus on a definition of an effective follower. Perhaps something like this: an effective follower is one who is able to work productively with leaders and colleagues to further the mission and purpose of the
organization while at the same time helping to ensure the welfare of all employees (all would, of course, include the leader).
Once the group has agreed upon a definition of the kind of follower it wants to be
cultivating, it can then proceed to identify and discuss what it believes are the characteristics of effective followers. A list of those characteristics might well
include the following:
Ability to see the big picture
Honesty, sincerity and trustworthiness
Loyalty to the leader, the organization and colleagues
Willingness to listen with an open mind
Ability to communicate effectively
Aptitude for working with others including leaders
A mindset that holds oneself as well as others to high standards
Even a cursory glance at any list the group develops is likely to convince the group that most of the characteristics that characterize effective followers are remarkably similar to ones that typify effective leaders. That explains why leadership gurus David Heenan and Warren Bennis can say, “Learning the secrets and skill of great No.2s remains the surest path to becoming No.1.” (p.19) In other words, in training people to be effective followers we will be training some of them to eventually become effective leaders.
Once they have identified the characteristics of effective followers, the group should
proceed to list and discuss the characteristics of ineffective ones. That list would surely
include:
Griping about what’s wrong but offering few suggestions for making things
better
Lack of genuine commitment to the leader and/or organization
Inability to appreciate the complexity of the leader’s job
Adopting a “them” vs. “us” mentality toward leaders & managers
Tendency to focus on the leader’s weaknesses and ignore his strengths
Failure to earn the leader’s trust
Unwillingness to confront a leader or colleague who is clearly wrong
Now that the positive and negative attributes of followership have been identified and
discussed, it is time to pause and use one of the most important tools of any learning
experience—self-assessment. Participants should confront this question: What is my status in each of the areas that we have determined constitute effective followership and in each of those that compromise it?
The facilitator might provide an assessment tool for this purpose (see Sidebar) or ask each participant to take a moment and write a journal entry describing which areas are areas of strength for her and in which ones she feels she needs improvement. This activity is a preliminary to the final activity—drawing up a personal improvement plan.
The Personal Improvement Plan
Once we accept the notion that learning to follow effectively is not something that
just comes naturally, it is easier to acknowledge that we must work to develop the skills that make such following possible--and to do that we need a plan.
There are many models a person might use to fashion a personal improvement
plan, but for the sake of brevity let me suggest one that Benjamin Franklin used and found both efficient and effective when he sought to improve his character.
Franklin identified a number of virtues that he believed lead to the development of good character: qualities like temperance, humility, resolution. In all, he identified thirteen. He then assessed himself in each of these areas and discovered where he
was deficient in each of them. Having done that, he devised a plan for tackling each of his shortcomings. He made a simple chart on which he listed each of the thirteen virtues as rows and the days of the week as columns.
Each week he would evaluate himself on how he had done on one of the chosen virtues by putting a check in the box on days in which he violated the virtue. He reviewed his charts weekly and monthly to assess his progress in reducing violations of the virtue. When he found himself deficient in an area at the end of a week or a month, he would develop a new strategy or recommit to a previous one for addressing the deficiency. For
instance, instead of using words which presented a fixed, inflexible opinion like “certainly” and “undoubtedly,” he determined to use less doctrinaire words like “I imagine” or “it seems to me.” (Dillon, p.p. 4-5)
Those who wish to improve their followership skills (and that should include even
leaders since they must be followers in some areas of their lives) could easily adapt Franklin’s plan to their own needs.
“The world, wrote Helen Keller, is moved not only by the mighty shoves of heroes, but
also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker” or, in other words, honest followers. But a compelling corollary to Keller’s observation is that a leader can be easily undermined or pushed in the wrong direction by the aggregate actions of dishonest or discontent followers. That is why it benefits everyone in a school or in any organization when that organization takes the time to teach the principles of effective
followership
References
Dillon, J.J. (2009) “Benjamin Franklin A Wonder-Based Approach to Life and Learning.” Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice. Volume 22, Number 4: 38-45.
Habecker, E.B. (1987) The Other Side of Leadership. Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books.
Heenan, D.A. & Bennis, W. Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships. New York:
John Wiley & Sons Inc
Sidebar
Effective Follower Self-Assessment
( 1 indicates least effective, 5 most effective)
1. I make a sincere effort to understand the big picture—the challenges that face
the school’s principal and the school system. 1 2 3 4 5
2. My own school goals are aligned with those of the school leader. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I have made and will continue to make a sincere effort to earn the trust and
confidence of my principal. 1 2 3 4 5
4. I constantly look for ways to make a positive contribution to my school and
school district. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I make an honest effort to listen closely and with an open mind to ideas
expressed by my school principal and my colleagues. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I work to make sure that I communicate openly, honestly and effectively with my
principal and my colleagues. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I am loyal to my school principal and school district leaders. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I am willing to confront my principal or my colleague when I believe s/he is
wrong. 1 2 3 4 5
9. When I confront someone I believe is wrong, I always do it in a way that I believe
will help them reassess their words or action, not in a manner calculated to hurt or embarrass them. 1 2 3 4 5
10. I refuse to adopt a “them” vs. “us” stance toward school leaders. 1 2 3 4 5
11. If I found that my personal beliefs and goals could not be reconciled with those
of the school leader and the school system, I would choose to leave my position
rather than to remain as a disgruntled employee. 1 2 3 4 5
Mike Connolly has worked as a high school, middle school and upper elementary school principal in urban, suburban and rural school districts in the USA and in international schools in Thailand, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Vietnam. He is the author of two books published by Rowman & Littlefield What They Never Told Me in Principals’ School, and Teaching Kids to Love Learning, Not Just Endure It.
:(www.rowmaneducation.com