Followership 2

FOLLOWERSHIP 2

Learning Outcome:

At the end of this session, the student(s) must be able to understand the
importance of Followership.

Scope of the Lesson:

➢ The ten good roles of followership;

➢ Followers make good leaders

BODY

THE TEN RULES OF FOLLOWERSHIP

1. Do Not Blame the Boss. Do not blame your boss for an unpopular decision or
policy your Job is to support, not undermine. It is insidiously easy to blame an
unpopular policy or decision on your superior. “I know this is a dumb idea and a
pain for everyone, but that is what the boss wants, sorry.” This may garner some
affection from your subordinates (although even the lowest subordinate is wise
enough to eventually see through such ploys), but it is certainly showing
disloyalty to your superior. Unquestionably, the desire for popularity is strong
but it may have unpleasant side effects that can weaken unit cohesion.
Leadership is not a commodity to be bought at the price of followership.
If a subordinate asks you whether or not you agree with a particular decision,
your response should be that the question is irrelevant. The boss has decided
and we will carry out his orders. That is what good subordinates are expected
to do. Loyalty must travel both up and down the chain of command.

2. Do Not Fight the Boss. Fight with your boss if necessary, but do it in private.
Avoid embarrassing situations and never reveal to others what was discussed.
Chronologically, this rule should come first, but I felt the above principle so
important it deserved priority. Before the decision is made, however, you will
generally have the opportunity to express your opinion to the boss. Speak
honestly and frankly. Do not be a yes man. There is always a tendency to tell
the boss what you think he or she wants to hear. Resist the temptation.

3. Use Initiative. Use initiative to make the decision and then run it past the boss.
No one likes to work for a micro-manager. We all believe we are smart enough
and mature enough to get the job done without someone hovering around and
providing detailed guidance. There is another side to that coin. One reason

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commanders become micro-managers is because they see their subordinates

standing by and waiting for specific instructions.

They then feel obliged to provide them. You can short- circuit this
debilitating spiral by showing initiative, accomplishing the task a lead then
back briefing the boss on what you did. Very few people actually like to be
bombarded with problems that require them to devise solutions. Even the most
"hands-on" supervisors would generally prefer that someone present them with
a workable plan and ask for their ratification. Help the boss out by taking a load
off his mind. A word warning here; you may have to know your boss fairly well,
before you begin showing too much initiative. There is a fine line between seizing
the moment to get something done and becoming a “loose cannon.” You do not
want to gain a reputation for the latter. In sum, always try to provide answers and
not questions. As trust and understanding develop between you and the boss,
begin acting on those answers once you have arrived at them. Then tell the boss
what you have done. Initiative is something I always look for in subordinates, but
as the next rule notes, it is often in short supply.

4. Accept Responsibility. Accept responsibility whenever offered. When I was in

basic training, an instructor gave me what he thought was sage and sane advice
do not volunteer for anything. It took me several years to realize his suggestion
was worthless.
The military or any top-flight organization cannot work effectively or
continue to grow and evolve unless it is composed of risk-takers willing to
assume responsibility. This can be difficult because no one wishes to risk failure
or embarrassment.

5. Tell the Truth and Do Not Quibble. Your boss will be giving advice up the chain
of command based on what you say. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. The
same could be the law for major miscalculations that were based on minor
indiscretions. Another unfortunate human reaction is to hide or cover up
mistakes before they are discovered by others. When asked if you
accomplished a certain task wrote a point paper, made a phone call, reserved
a conference room and you have not done so; the temptation is great to
respond affirmatively, then hurriedly complete what you had forgotten to do
earlier.

6. Do Your Homework. Give your boss all the information needed to make a
decision. Anticipate possible questions. Being a good staff officer is harder than
it looks; do your homework. When given a problem to solve by the boss, you
must become an expert on the subject before you attempt to propose a course
of action. Read up on the issue, talk to the offices that will be affected by the
decision, pulse your network of friends and coworkers to gain insights in short,

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do your homework! Most importantly, think through the implications of the

problem, what it means and whom it affects, not just now but down the road.
Anticipate the type of questions your boss will ask and prepare suggested
answers. Be creative here. Ask the second and third level questions, not just the
obvious ones. Remember; if your boss will be taking this proposal to his boss,
you must prepare him properly to avoid his being embarrassed (guess who pays
for that). You might find it surprising how often your supervisor will rely on you to
actually make policy.

7. Suggest implementation. When making recommendations, remember who will

probably have to implement them. This means you must know your own
strengths and limitations. Once you have finished studying the problem in-depth
and are about to make a recommendation you want the boss to ratify. Remember
that you will likely be tasked to implement your own suggestion. After all, who
can better carry out a policy than the person who just became an expert on it?
In other words, do not propose solutions that are impracticable. It is one thing to
recommend a course of action that is designed for an ideal world but quite
another to suggest something that is workable under prevailing circumstances
and constraints. This does not imply that you, always look for easy fixes or latch
on to the lowest common denominator. Yet, there is a calculus you must take
that will reveal whether the ideal solution is worth the effort or if a 90% percent
solution might be more efficient. Be prepared to brief the perfect answer, but
note how much extra it will cost. At the same time, bear in mind your own role
in this process, as it is crucial to have a clear understanding of your weaknesses
as well as your strengths. Some people are originators, while others are
organizers. Some are drivers, others are facilitators. Some work better in groups,
others perform more successfully alone. Know who you are and put yourself in
positions that maximize your strengths while masking your limitations. This will
make you a more successful subordinate.

8. Keep the Boss Informed. Keep the boss informed of what is going on in the
unit. People will be reluctant to tell him or her problem and successes. You
should do it for them and assure someone else will tell the boss about yours.
One thing you will notice as you advance in rank and responsibility is that people
will be less inclined to talk to you. As a result, what you hear about the unit
may be heavily filtered. Staying informed on the true state of affairs is a constant
but essential challenge. Subordinates who routinely drop the boss notes or
mention tidbits in passing can really help a boss stay in touch.

9. Fix Problems as They Occur. If you see a problem, fix it. Do not worry about
who gets the blame, or praise. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall
commented that there was no limit to the amount of good people that could

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accomplish as long as they did not cart who received the credit. Although this
rule might look similar for initiative and accepting responsibility, the point here
is to stress selflessness. When you see something has gone wrong or is about
to go wrong, fix it. Too often we notice a bad situation developing and shake
our heads and mumble "it's not my problem." It is our problem. Do not get
wrapped around the axle wondering if you will get involved directly in the
problem or if you stand to benefit from its solution. We all serve for the greater
good, so every time difficulties are straightened out, we, our unit, and the service
are better off.
The essence of military life is teamwork. Do your job quietly, confidently,
and professionally, and trust your colleagues to do likewise. But if you do come
across a problem, just go ahead and take care of it. We are all in this together.

10. Put in an Honest Day's Work. Put in more than an honest day's work, but never
forget the needs of your family. If they are unhappy, you will be too, and your job
performance will suffer accordingly. Americans believe in hard work. It is a matter
of great pride for us that we have a strong work ethic and are among the most
productive societies in the world. The military is certainly no exception.

These are my 10 rules of good followership. All of us are subordinate to someone,

and learning how to serve our boss well is an important responsibility. If we can master
this task, and master it well; we in turn will be better leaders when the challenge comes.
After all, even our greatest military leaders started at the bottom. We must learn to follow
before we can lead. I hope you find these thoughts useful in your own professional
journey.

FOLLOWERS MAKE GOOD LEADERS GOOD

What makes a good follower?

The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell the
truth. In a world of growing complexity, leaders are increasingly dependent
on their subordinates for good information; whether the leaders want to hear
it or not. Followers who tell the truth and leaders who listen to it are an
unbeatable combination.
Like good leaders, good followers understand the importance of speaking
out. More important, they do it.
Effective leaders reward dissent, as well as encourage it. They understand
that whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being

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told from time to time that they are wrong is more than offset by the fact
that reflective backtalk increases a leader’s ability to make good decision.
The good follower may indeed have to put his or her job on the line in the
course of speaking up. But consider the price he or she pays for silence.
What job is worth the enormous psychic cost of following a leader who
values loyalty in the narrowest' sense? Perhaps the ultimate irony is that
the follower who is willing to speak out shows precisely the kind of initiative
that leadership is made of.

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