Followership =>The act or condition of following a leader http://www.thefreedictionary.com
We have read so many books and articles about leadership ,how to became a successful leader,how leaders affect followers or how the inner or personal qualities constitute the effective leadership…but not read something about the followers. Would a leader exist without his followers? Would a leader be successful without good followers? Sure both have a strong relation to each other and none would exist without the other,there are no leaders without followers.
Followership may be defined as the ability to effectively follow the directives and support the efforts of a leader to maximize the efficiency of the team .During a normal day,we are at the same time leaders and followers.We may be leaders in one situation and be a follower in another so we have experience on both roles.For us to be good leaders must have courageous followers who have intelligence,integrity and dedication. Good followers have all the capacities that leaders have,and we can see this all the time when leaders are unintendedly incapacitated and a “follower” steps in.
Followers are more important to leaders than leaders are to followers."
Barbara Kellerman
The book identifies and analyzes five basic types of followers:
1. isolates,2.bystanders 3.participants 4.activists,5.diehards
And the most important one wich we must take care not to be and not to be parts of our teams are the bystanders.Many catastrophes wouldn’t happen if bystanders tried to be participants.
Martin Niemöller, a pastor in the German Confessing Church who spent seven years in a concentration writes.
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out
because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the labor leaders, and I did not speak out
because I was not a labor leader.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one
left to speak out for me.
And to conlude I would like to mention a quote:
people choose the class of followers they want be either by their character or circumtances they face. However it is important to know that if the wrong path is chosen harder will be the effects for the individual,for the company or for the entire society. For this reason everyone should be carefull regarding this decision.
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