How to Be an Outstanding Follower

Millions of words have been devoted to how to become better leaders. While most of these theories and suggestions have value, what about the majority of employees who are not charged with leading teams, departments or companies?

Recent studies indicate that the majority of employees polled are dissatisfied with their jobs, bosses and employers. Since all management levels, even CEOs, must answer to higher authorities, all of us are technically followers.

Have you thought about where all the famous leaders would be without great followers? All the charismatic, mercurial leaders would probably live in the nowhere of business, sports, politics and life. But, how can we become outstanding followers? And, how will being a superstar follower benefit us?

Becoming an Outstanding Follower

Director of Executive Development Programs at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics, Dan McCarthy, effectively addressed this undervalued issue in his article, “10 Ways to be a Great Follower” (GreatLeadershipbyDan.com, August 2009). Temporarily discarding his leadership mentoring hat, McCarthy illustrated some traits that make employees outstanding followers.

Examine these tips to become a superstar follower. All are effective and proven over time. Adopt those that are comfortable and consider embracing those that are not.

• Communicate and inform. Always keep your superiors in the loop by communicating and delivering information. Don’t wait to be asked; keep the information flow consistent and constant. Understand that no manager, regardless of talent and experience, can make good decisions if they have an information shortage. Be a source of information for your manager.
  
  
• Support management at all times. From sports to the military to business, there are few more meaningful comments than “I’ve got your back.” Support management at every opportunity to become a great follower—and person. You won’t agree with every management decision ever made. Superior followers, however, support their managers unquestionably, making the best out of good, bad or neutral situations.
  
  
• Focus on being the best you can be. The most valuable employees always focus on doing the best job possible. Outstanding followers consistently deliver superb results at the workplace. In so doing, they make their teams, managers, company, and themselves look good—very good. Being the best they can be, outstanding followers tend to create outstanding managers who tend to make outstanding companies. This is the ultimate win-win situation.
  
  
• Take responsibility for success and failure. Like premier leaders, outstanding followers take responsibility for their actions and performance. While it’s easy to graciously accept credit for successes, admitting errors or failures is a different matter. Accepting responsibility for all your choices, decisions and actions is a trait of outstanding followers and superior leaders, alike.
  
  
• Focus on solutions, not problems. A common source of stress, employees who consistently bombard superiors with problem issues are annoying, counter-productive and offer little help to management. However, those who bring suggested solutions to the management table are revered as valuable followers. These employees often become equally valuable leaders in the future.
  
  
• Optimistically embrace workplace change. Change is an ongoing reality of the contemporary workplace. Employees often resist these changes and generate negative issues that require management intervention to overcome. Outstanding followers embrace workplace changes diligently, without undue concern for their agreement or initial support. As superior team players, these employees realize that their positive reactions benefit their employers, their supervisors and their peers.
  
  
• Learn to love what you do or change what you do. Some of the most successful people in business state that they originally hated their jobs, employers, industries and careers at the beginning. They further admit that they learned to love what they do and, therefore, continued to achieve success. Others continued their dislike of their careers and had the courage and motivation to change their situations. If you have problems becoming a great follower at your current job, change it. Find the job, career, employer, and industry that makes you happy. You’ll quickly become an outstanding follower again.

Most people don’t aspire to become followers. It usually just happens. However, we all are followers of someone or something. In business, education, government and all other venues, becoming the best of what we are is always a laudable goal.

Being an outstanding follower is just as important as becoming a superior leader. Outstanding followers create effective leaders. The reverse process does not work. First must come the followers, after which the leaders are needed and usually appear.

You’ll enjoy another significant career advantage by becoming an accomplished follower. Outstanding followers often develop into equally excellent leaders. Your understanding of the importance, complexity and components of superior followers gives you a strong foundation to become a outstanding leader.

Source:
http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/08/10-ways-to-be-great-follower.html