Friday, 19 September 2014


culled from:fastcompany

Awareness.

Today, leaders need to be aware of various audiences including colleagues, coworkers, customers, board members, and the public at large. As a leader, you need to be aware of what it takes to “bring them along.”
Being a follower teaches you how to be aware of the needs of other people as well as their potential to “make my life hell from one second to the next,” she says. Good followers learn to read people and understand what upsets and motivates them.

Diplomacy.

When good followers encounter a co-worker with rabid political beliefs or a disagreeable manager, they’re probably not going to fight every battle, Kellerman says. Playing the part of the follower is easier, simpler, and often less risky.
Good followers learn how to get along with those who have differences while not ignoring those differences. That’s an important leadership trait, too, because a leader or manager can’t afford to be oblivious to the attitudes of those around him or her, Kellerman says.

Courage.

Being a good follower means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader, manager, or superior, is doing something wrong-headed, Kellerman says. That’s not always easy, but it requires the guts and strength of conviction that are essential to good leadership, Kellerman says.
“Being a good follower is complicated in ways that are rather similar to being a good leader. It means being engaged. It means paying attention. It means having the courage to speak up when something’s wrong and it means having the energy and activism to support a leader or manager who’s doing things wisely and well,” she says.

Collaboration.

In many ways, followers can "make or break" the leader influencing if and how goals are accomplished, Riggio says. In many business sectors, followers are the ones who are doing much of the creative work, although the leader may get most of the credit. Leaders who have been good followers understand how to work with people to bring out the best in them.
“Did Steve Jobs really create the iPod and iPhone, or was it the creative collective of team members at Apple? Today, leaders may be evaluated not only by how much is produced or achieved, but by the quality of the team or organization and its members,” he says.

Critical thinking.

In order to be a good follower, you need to be able to think for yourself. Riggio says the best followers support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is headed in the wrong direction.
“Many of the same qualities that we admire in leaders--competence, motivation, intelligence--are the same qualities that we want in the very best followers. Moreover, leaders, regardless of their level, also need to follow,” he says.

20 comments:

  1. Give me a true selfless leader and I will surely change the world.

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  2. In order to be a good follower, you need to be able to think for yourself.

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  3. In order for one to be able to lead,one must first be a good follower.

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  4. Being a good follower means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader, manager, or superior, is doing something wrong-headed.

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  5. Leaders are readers, how I wish every person aspiring leadership read this piece.

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  6. The difference between the developed, developing, and non-developed world is the quality of their respective leadership

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  7. Learning to serve others is one of the key factors by which leaders add value to any organization.

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  8. Aremu ifeoluwa ruth: A poor follower will make a worst leader!

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  9. Good followers learn how to get along with those who have differences while not ignoring those differences.

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  10. A leader most be able to manage his followers to achieve his aim. Therefore he most be able to feed himself about the feelings, thinking, etc of hie followers.

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  11. Being a good follower means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader is not good you have to change him/her.

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  12. Good followers learn how to get along with those who have differences while not ignoring those differences. That’s an important leadership trait, too, because a leader or manager can’t afford to be oblivious to the attitudes of those around him or her.

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  13. Ayoola Olanike Yetunde

    Being a good followers means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader, it also complicated in ways that are similar to being a good leader. And to be able to speak up when something's wrong.

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  14. QUADRI KABIRU OLALEKAN
    A good follower learn to learn to read people and understand what upset and motivate them.
    A good follower support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is headed in the wrong direction.

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  15. Akindele Folakemi Aminat
    To become a good leader, you must have learn and gain some techniques from your boss or manager when you were a followers. The cooperation which the follower has can motivate him to become a better leader.

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  16. being a good follower means having courage. if you think your leader, manager, or superviosr is doing something wrong. From: Adeleke Omotayo Bamitale

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  17. diplomacy when good follower: encounter a co-worker with rapid political beliefs or a disagreaable manager, they're probably not going to first battle

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