We usually tend to overestimate and to concentrate on managers and leaders rather than to the low rank employees, called first line employees. In the focus of the book written by Prof. Barbara, as the title implies, is not leadership but followership. So she has shifted our attention from leadership to followership. She argues that followers are as important as leaders, defining 5 types of followers in her book: Isolate Bystander, Participant, Activist and Diehard.
Kellerman argues that a big organization's fate can be surprisingly dependent on how well it understands thousands of low-ranking employees, and makes them more effective. This is best manifested at service industries. The service industry is very variable, as it calls for managerial and leader presence as much as it calls for effective first line employees presence. A very good result is achieved when exist a leader-follower interaction. Due to the works that they have to handle, and due to the fact that most of the services in hospitality service are 24h services (reception, security, technical assistance etc), they often are not always present with the guest as the first line employees. The guest will make the check in and the check out with the receptionist, will call the receptionist for whatever they might need or for the guest at the bar/ restaurant the first contact will be the waiter, and he will handle all his requests.
The guest satisfaction depends on the level of service he is experiencing; consequently the guest loyalty is conditioned by the service that the first line employees are offering. The first line employees should be empowered and they should interact with the leaders (managers), they both should follow the company vision. There are cases when the managers tend to see themselves as “God”, sometimes also expressing this nonsense feeling in words when giving orders (I am the leader here!). Leadership must guide followership, it must stay on the followership side, always supporting and directing to the desired result. The leader should communicate give and take feedback from its followers.
hi Jerina,
ReplyDeleteI am agree with every thing of what you wrote especially "Leadership must guide follower ship, it must stay on the follower ship side, always supporting and directing to the desired result. The leader should communicate give and take feedback from its followers" but in which world should be possible because as I sow and what the other are telling me in my world is the opposite as you mention also.
The phrase 'the leader should communicate give and take feedback from its followers' is really inspiring. Another important task of a leader is to improve the quality of employees, not only by finding better ones but mostly educating the present ones. But the first choice seems easier and faster to many employers.
ReplyDeleteibrahim can korkut
Dear Jerina
ReplyDeleteYou explained very natural cause of events.Everything really should be as you perceive it but why don't we usually see the leaders we expect? If I were a leader I would like to find it out.
Dear Olga,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I think that we humans are too complex to act naturally. At the moment that a person is a leader he usually believes that he knows everything, and he does not need the information or the opinion of his followers. Or maybe he listen to it but does not pay full attention. It is like touching the sky, and at that moment they feel like they are the God. all they need is time and experience to truly understand and improve themselves.