Being a follower has been stereotyped as a less than desired position to that of a leader. In the industrial age, followers were seen as submissive and passive, unable to act intelligently or be productive without guidance of a leader. The word follower has even been cast in a negative light with the term subordinate, resulting in these words being substituted for more favorable uses like constituents and participants.
However, human nature has demonstrated that there is a natural tendency for people to elect a person to follow based on their abilities and qualities. This means that all people can change between being a follower and a leader at different times.
The result?
Followership is not tied to a person but to a role that person plays. Who are these followers who are elected to join the elite rank known as a leader? They are called effective followers.
Effective Followership
Effective followers have within them the same qualities as great leaders; the difference being the role and authority which that person administers. For this reason, a leader may not necessarily be superior or the most skilled one in the group; he only functions with a different activity then the others. Because of this, it is important to distinguish the differences between what constitutes a good leader and an effective follower.
Distinguishing between Leaders and Followers
Just because a person is a leader does not mean that he is necessarily good at it or as in charge as he may believe to be. The same is true for followers. Followers are not as submissive or obedient as one would desire, nor necessarily as effective as each believes to be.
This means that it is the quality of the person and how active they are in participation, rather than the title one holds, which makes the person an effective leader or follower. Followers can become leaders, and leaders can become followers at different times in an organization— what Joseph C. Rost calls being in a relationship.
He says that both leaders and followers form one relationship, which is leadership. According to Rost, there is no such thing as followership [in the new school of leadership] because “followership only makes sense in the industrial leadership paradigm, where leadership is good management.” This is because followers could not do management due to their job title, which left them to be subordinates.
Leadership, then, is when followers and leaders develop a relationship where they influence each other along with the organization and society.
Rost’s perspective distinguishes effective leaders and followers by how active each one is in their own activities within the shared relationship. However, this is not very precise and does not help discern the difference in the role of a follower and leader.
The Role of a Follower
Perhaps, Robert E. Kelley’s operative definition of each can assist in distinguishing between effective leaders and followers:
- Effective people in the leadership role have the vision to establish goals and strategies for the corporation, can achieve harmony with their interpersonal skills, can articulate enthusiasm to large and diverse groups of individuals, have the organizational talent to manage incongruent efforts, and finally, the desire to lead.
- Effective people in the follower role are able to see the ins and outs of the vision, are able to work well with others socially, have humility to succeed without a high status, can properly balance personal and corporate goals without compromising one’s morality or psychological state, and finally, have the desire to work with a team for the purpose of accomplishing some greater common good.
Kelley’s definition is clear cut in distinguishing how each operates personally and within an organization. Both roles have the desire to work with people, to succeed in a common goal, and to understand the ins and outs of the vision. The only difference is one’s desire to lead or follower and having increased responsibility and authority over people.
Since effective followers and leaders can do both roles at different times, what are the characteristics and qualities which allow a person to be effective in both roles?
Qualities of the Effective Follower
When an organization is run by effective followers, leaders become more of an overseer of change and progress rather than the hero. This is due to effective followers being responsible and well-balanced individuals who believe that they offer just as much value to the organization as the leader contributes.
- One reason is that they are a significant cost advantage to their organization since they can succeed without a lot of supervision or strong leadership. This quality is self-management and allows leaders to feel comfortable delegating responsibility when a follower has it.
- Not only that, but self-managing followers are more likely to anticipate needs based on their own level of authority and intellect; which makes them feel equal with their leaders sometimes. However, this makes good followers less afraid of hierarchy and more likely to argue with the leader.
- Arguing or standing up to a leader is not necessarily a bad thing if the follower is wanting the best for the company and its goals. It is simply the result of their commitment to the organization. Effective followers demonstrate commitment not only to the organization but to other purposes as well; whether those are a product, person, principle, or cause.
- When a person is committed to their work, their heart is in their labors which raises morale and creates a positive and contagious environment. Because an effective follower is self-manageable, he can control his loyalties to meet organizational needs as well as satisfying his own personal needs.
- Effective followers continually seek training and development on their own, in order to be more useful to the organization they are committed to. As their competence and focus rises, they achieve a higher performance level than what is required for their work.
- This means that good followers are more likely to take on more tasks after they have done an excellent job in their regular responsibilities. If they do not feel comfortable with a task or know a colleague is better suited for the job, they will not waste energy or the company’s resources to give a poor performance.
- Because effective followers are independent, have self-control, are committed to the good of the company and its employees, and are knowledgeable life-long learners, their lives demonstrate to others that they are credible, honest, and courageous.
- Another quality or concept that is seen in effective followers and leaders, but not all, is what Hughes, Ginnet, and Curphy call: power, influence, and influence tactics. In short,
- Power is the capability to produce effects on others, or to influence them;
- Influence changes a person’s attitudes, beliefs, values, or behaviors; and
- Influence tactic is designed to change a person’s attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors by means of another person’s behaviors.
These are all the same qualities which an effective leader and follower portray; and to reiterate, the only difference between such an individual is the role which is undertaken at a designated moment.
Effective Followers in a Team
According to John W. Gardner, recent decades show an increasing support of the view that a group’s purpose is “best served by a relationship in which the leader helps followers to develop their own judgment and enables them to grow and become better contributors.” When followers are allowed to develop their own initiatives, leaders are creating something that will survive after they have left the organization.
Such a view works well for those who believe that people should be able to develop their abilities and powers fully—something that every effective follower would desire—however, that may not be the best long-term management style to establish.
Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer, in their book Virtuoso Teams (2005), suggest that teams which are made up of extraordinary people in their field and are given the freedom to use their abilities however they desire in pursuit of a common goal, is not a sustainable team for the long haul. Such a team is best suited in achieving a “single-minded discontinuous change.”
It would appear that the only alternative industries which can sustain this model and team-play are those in the technology and internet fields, rather than the traditional styles of blue-chip companies. These flamboyant industries, with their virtuoso teams made up of effective followers and leaders, use a bottoms-up management style rather than the traditional top-down style of blue-chip companies.
For example, this is why Silicon Valley continually creates new innovative businesses and draws in creative experts in their own fields.
There are times when a leader or manager is handling issues in the workplace and is unable to address other important projects. This is where such projects can be delegated to or, in some cases, assumed on one’s own accord by effective followers. They will take on the problem alone by sharpening their own skills, thinking for themselves, and focusing all their efforts and self-control on the task. This frees up the leader to take care of important matters without having to guide his followers.
Effective Followers of Christ
It is evident that without Christ, a believer can do nothing good for God’s glory (John 15:4–5); so, of course, being effective in the kingdom of God starts with one’s relationship with Christ. After that, as a believer matures in their spiritual growth, the fruit of the Spirit becomes more abundant; and they are able to handle more difficult situations as they ask for the wisdom of God more often (Galatians 5; James 1:5; 13–18). This enables a godlier and more successful daily walk which will transpire into one’s work and at home.
It should, then, go without saying that believers in Christ should all be effective followers whether at their jobs, serving in a local church, or in a ministry elsewhere in the world. The Bible speaks heavily about followership and on what it means to be effective in one’s walk with God.
First of all, there is no room for idleness or being lukewarm in one’s commitment (Matthew 12:30; Romans 12:11; 2 Thessalonians 3; Revelation 3:14–22; c.f. Proverbs 12:24) because the task at hand is great, and the time limit is short (Luke 10:2; John 9:4; 2 Peter 3:9b).
Therefore, a believer’s motivation is in the urgency to live out one’s life for the glory of God and in being an example of Christ to the nations (Matthew 5:13–16; Ephesians 5:1–2; Philippians 1:27–28; 3:1–21; 2 Peter 3:10–18).
The Believer’s Motivation
The same qualities which effective followers have should be demonstrated in a believer’s life. As mentioned above, every follower should be committed to something, namely, God and His kingdom work (1 Corinthians 15:58). The standard of how this is done, is at the heart of an effective follower:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” (Ecclesiastes 9:10a); and “whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17; c.f. 1 Thessalonians 2:1–9)
This includes how one performs service to earthly bosses (Ephesians 6:5–8).
Effective followers of Christ should always desire to be diligent in their learning and in growing godly character (Ezra 7:10; 1 Timothy 4:6–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–12). It should also be desirable—particularly for husbands—to become good managers and leaders because it is essential for one’s household and is a requirement for leading the church (Ephesians 5:25–6:4; 1 Timothy 3:4–5).
Effective followers keep in continual communication with God through prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:4–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16–17); and are prepared for any new tasks or to give an account for their faith (Ephesians 5:15–16; Colossians 4:2–6; 1 Peter 3:15–16).
They should be courageous and zealous for good works (Matthew 10:24–28; 2 Corinthians 5:9–11; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 3:1–14; c.f. Acts 22:3; Galatians 1:16); but most of all, effective followers need to rely on the Holy Spirit for help and guidance (e.g. Romans 8:26–27).
Case Study
To give credit where credit is due, Jesus is the ultimate effective follower in the New Testament; however, the apostle Paul demonstrates a close second place ranking for the following reasons discussed below.
The Apostle Paul
The apostle Paul, formerly called Saul, was known in his community as intelligent, dedicated, and possessing a zeal for his ancestral beliefs and traditions far beyond his contemporaries (Galatians 1:13–14; c.f. Philippians 3:4–6). Saul was a student of Gamaliel and was educated strictly according to the law of the Jews (Acts 22:3). He proved zealous not only in keeping tradition, but in protecting it to the point of chasing down and persecuting to death those who blasphemed the God of those traditions (vv. 4–5).
However, when Saul “changed jobs,” so to speak, after Christ stopped him on the road to Damascus, he was given a new name (now called Paul), a new assignment (to be a witness of Christ), and a new commitment (to follow Christ) (vv. 6–16).
Paul followed Christ with the same zeal as he had with his previous commitment. He sought additional education to prepare him for his job (Galatians 1:15–17), and he worked at it with all his might regardless of the hardships and difficulties (2 Corinthians 11:21b–29).
Paul was so effective in following Christ that he led others in their spiritual growth and ministries (Mark, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus); however, even though he was seen as a great leader, he labeled himself as a bondservant of Christ (Romans 1:1) and said that all believers are ambassadors for God’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:29).
After Paul finished his ministry—which was at his deathbed—he knew that there was stored up for him a reward in heaven which he would receive as he met his Savior there (2 Timothy 4:5–8).
Conclusion
Therefore, believers in Christ should want to be the most effective of followers, because one’s skills and abilities are considered valuable, it requires continuous growth in all aspects of life, the commitment is for the greatest good in the world, and no zeal is too great to have in doing God’s work. The church is the God-given team which one is blessed to work with; and there is an eternal reward waiting for those who want to follow Christ; and even more so for those with a passion like Paul’s (c.f. Galatians 6:6–10).
Regardless of whether an effective follower works in a secular job or is in full-time ministry, he ought to possess the same amount of self-management and commitment to either work. Effective followers should also have competence and focus in their tasks and should have courage, honesty, and a credible name. These are the qualities which anyone in a position should have; for they are the same qualities which great leaders possess but can be demonstrated in non-heroic ways.
Resources
Much of the research for this article can be found in the books compiled in the “Leadership Companion.” I would recommend anyone get that book and read through it.
“The Secret Sauce of Silicon Valley” from Forbes [Read the article, here]
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