BL34: Be a Good Follower First

Bold Leadership podcast

In this episode we are going to discuss some revelations from Zed Zidaric and Gwen Moran about what it means to be a good follower and the impact it has when you become the leader.

He who has learned how to obey will know how to command.

- Solon, Athenian statesman (570 BC)

He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.

― Aristotle, Greek philosopher (340 BC)

Great followers are future leaders. Zeljko 'Zed' Zidaric describes best what we really should be following and how we should lead

Rather than being a follower of the leader we follow the cause (vision).

He asks one simple question What is the purpose of the team?

1. The team exists to solve a problem (purpose, vision, mission).
2. The problem belongs to a group of stakeholders (this is the big step).
3. The team, including the leader, serves the stakeholders.
4. The team members are probably also stakeholders

Following a leader without a vision for the future is much like leaving port without a destination.

The ultimate question is what do you learn as a good follower to become a great teammate and leader?

Barbara Kellerman a leadership lecturer at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government author of Followership: How Followers are Creating Change and Changing Leaders, says that significant shifts in technology and culture have changed that dynamic, giving followers more power. And there’s a lot you can learn about being a good leader by learning to be a good follower.

1. Awareness
2. Diplomacy
3. Courage
4. Collaboration
5. Critical Thinking

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 attitude