The most common but underappreciated and overlooked role we play in life is the one that none of us admits to aspire to:the role of discipleship. Although we all followers in many ways in our lives, the follower comes last as a popular topic in research and writing about the dozen most common roles we play in life – parent, mother, father, sister, brother , friend, leader, manager, employee, teacher, and student.
When the boss is happy with our followers, we position ourselves for pay raises, promotions, and assignments that improve our standard of living and quality of life. work life. When the boss is disappointed, we jeopardize our job security, fail to earn raises that maintain our standard of living, and frequently relegate to the least attractive assignments in our work environments. You'd think more attention would be paid to the subject of follow-up, but, instead, we academic types are almost obsessed with leadership. An important question we should ask ourselves is, “How can the followers win when the leaders get all the glory?”
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The number of followers is underestimated. Unlike leaders, followers are protected from the hell of disgruntled, disgruntled employees who complain about everything – co-workers, assignments, compensation, performance reviews, lack of recognition, denial of promotions, failed consultation and just plain don't. not achieve their ends. Followers are free to say no to the people they truly care about and the people who will forever resent them. Followers are free to be an arbiter between battling factions or make judgments that create winners and losers. Supporters are freed from having to lay off employees and can avoid conflicts and issues that leaders are forced to resolve.
The number of followers is underestimated. Unlike leaders, followers are protected from the hell of disgruntled, disgruntled employees who complain about everything:colleagues, assignments, payroll,
Ultimately, organizations have fewer reasons to terminate their subscribers and businesses have fewer opportunities and reasons to sue their subscribers. Although the average length of stay in a management profession is quite high (nearly seven years), a survey of approximately 5,000 executives, research consultants and corporate human resource professionals indicates that the average tenure of a 'a business executive is only 2.3 years old. Although I assert that abusive bosses and dehumanizing work are not tolerated, the role of a follower in a pleasant job with a fair and reasonable boss is generally a much less stressful work experience than serving in a role of leadership.
While leadership literature may be King Kong and follower literature a mere mouse, enough has been written about followers to give you some guidelines on what you should be looking for to become a leader. more ideal follower. I looked at 27 studies that identified 278 qualities of exemplary followers. Many of these qualities overlapped, and I was able to boil them down to a more manageable set of nine traits.
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9 Traits of Ideal Disciples
1. They are effective communicators.
Their communications are understandable, accurate, complete and timely. While you may instinctively think that talking isn't what a good follower does, research reveals that speaking up, being open, offering opinions, and persuading are also characteristics of followers who communicate effectively.
2. They are crooks.
Sitting down and keeping your head down is a no-no. Followers should be energetic, take initiative, participate, be proactive and “just do it”.
3. They have strong social skills.
They are highly interactive, friendly, diplomatic and socially intelligent network builders.
4. They are team players.
This one should be painfully obvious. Ideal followers are strong team players who value collaboration, cooperation, and interdependence.
5. They are accountable.
Being a follower is less stressful than being a leader, but they still need to be strongly accountable, which includes being accountable, knowing and doing their job, following, accepting delegation, and taking ownership .
6. They are flexible.
In a rapidly changing economy, adaptability is important. Subscribers must be flexible and adaptable, able to handle change and be “a player for all seasons”.
7. They have integrity.
Another trait that I hope would apply to leaders and followers is integrity, reflected in honesty and credibility, both ethically and morally.<8. They are determined.
Of course, it is possible to do a job and not commit to the organization behind the job. However, research reveals that organizations value engaged members. And that makes sense. Without commitment, how can a follower be an honest team player looking after the best interests of the organization and his colleagues?
9. They are proficient.
Although some adepts may possess all of the virtues on this list, they are ultimately useless unless they are proficient or competent to perform their job. In addition, the ability to deflect crises is a particularly attractive skill in the eyes of superiors.
Before I finish singing the praises of the sequel, I don't mince words. Follower count has a serious downside when employees are placed in growth-stifling jobs or subordinated to abusive or incompetent leaders. The power that superiors have over their subordinates is particularly problematic when bosses exercise autocratic control and a punitive approach to management. Following can be unbearable when self-determination and self-expression are denied, or when a climate of fear casts its ominous shadow over a work environment.
Despite the common issues faced by followers, there are benefits to being a follower that should put a smug smile on all of our faces. On the one hand, if you are someone who dislikes or is not challenged by the diversity of responsibilities in leadership positions, a follower role is much more likely to reduce stress and improve job satisfaction. work. If you're currently placed in a more narrowly defined job that allows you to focus on what you really love doing, you'd be foolish to step on the elevator to a leadership role. Not only are you opening the door to jobs you hate, but poor performance in leadership positions can put you on the escalator down to your employer's exit door.
Being the ideal follower from a management perspective is only part of the payoff to follow. You gain following by working in jobs that bring you satisfaction in organizations that are compatible with your natural following style. Simply put, to win following, become an invaluable subordinate working in jobs you love in organizations that love you back.
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