Leader vs Follower This title suggests that one can be only a leader or a follower and this is possible but

often with disastrous effects. A single person can be a leader or follower and anyone that is one now can be the other next. Many searches for "leader vs follower" bring readers to this blog but the results page that is chosen doesn't explain this principle of the leader -follower relationship.

Using illustrations from the proposed tetrahedral model, " A Vision of Leadership" (now Leadership for Collaboration and Innovation), we can see it is respect that keeps leader and follower in relationship, each respecting the other for the role they are taking. With no respect the relationship becomes dysfunctional and one or both will give up their roles or, if both choose to be leaders they will compete and if both choose to be followers nothing will happen! Respecting is a leadership practice necessary for leading and following in at least two different, important contexts, organization and collaboration.

By organization I mean the structure that is formed by leaders for implementation in which followers conform. This is typically the

traditional hierarchy structure used to reliably and repeatedy implement r outine operations according to policy, a necessary component of all collective activities. A leader leads followers even while following his/her leader. Really there is no such thing as a leader or a follower. Each person is both, a leader-follower, following one or more people and leading one or more, different people. (Notice that this applies to the person lowest in the hierarchy if they are taking initiatives with respect to others.)

The leader-follower behavior is quite different in collaboration. In this case the person leading improvises in order to innovate and the person following responds to support the innovation. Unlike in a hierarchy the leading and following roles are not fixed according to positional power but are situational, according to whoever can contribute most effectively at any moment. Rather than choosing a leader or follower role according to the position of the other, it is selected according to the value of the other's contribution. The question, "Am I a leader or a follower?" implies a person can be only one or the other which leads to very unfortunate consequences. Someone who is just a leader will give orders, take independent action, be answerable to no-one and be unable to collaborate; such a person is a dictator. On the other hand the person who chooses just to follow can exist only at the lowest level of a hierarchical organization and be unable/unwilling to take any initiatives with respect to another person; this person is a slave. "Leader or follower?" implies only bad choices unless the response is "both." http://ldrflr.blogspot.com/2006/04/leader -vs-follower.html

Effective Leader An Effective Leader Provides Reasons For Followers' Contribution By Peter L Mitchell In the world of leadership there are leaders of all different abilities. However, there is a characteristic that is present in all successful leaders. Effective leaders give followers a reason for doing things, behaving in a certain fashion and a belief. The cause, the vision, the objective or target is not necessarily something that is exotic, complex or even out of the ordinary. The leader's task is to link the daily work of each follower to the vision or cause. Then, he or she has to positively reinforce that their contribution is necessary and significant to the agreed objective or vision. This leadership behavior provides followers with information to evaluate their daily choices so that they are clear about how they benefit as well as the business. The vision, the emotional side of the behavior, provides the energy for the effort to contribute towards the goal. This enables them to see the link between their individual contributions and the success of the group as a whole. Following the vision of a leader, often creates a situation called "delayed gratification." This is where the follower will do something for the business (the leader) before they do something for themselves. For example, dealing patiently and professionally with a customer before going to lunch. This delayed gratification could be described as a sacrifice and every successful leader recognizes the followers' personal sacrifices and offers their personal appreciation. Remember, that the leader's objective is not to cause sacrifices but to understand that they are the consequences of following the vision and should never go unappreciated. It is a clear demonstration that the followers of the needs of the business before their own. These personal sacrifices are a matter of choice and cannot be demanded. However, if these choices go unrecognized and are not reinforced positively, the choices will revert in favor of the individual and not to the business. Taking these positive choices for granted will quickly extinguish this desirable behavior. People in leadership positions must realize that their job entails a lot of face-to-face contact with followers. Unfortunately, they are often under pressure to meet the needs of the bureaucracy of the business. Often, their face-to-face work is curtailed by the demands from head office. Too often the head office is more concerned with conformity and standardization without any regard to the link between behavior and performance. Many hours and dollars are wasted in trying to get people to adopt arbitrary practices which may or may not be relevant. Employees are not silly. If they think that a practice is unreasonable, unfair or just plain dumb, they will avoid it. The sad consequence is that when faced with unreasonable, unfair or dumb requests they withdraw all discretionary effort to the detriment of the leader and the business. Given this situation, it's easy to see that the need for the security blanket of standardization beloved by corporate head offices, creates a situation where managers and

supervisors devote their efforts to compliance rather than the creation of excellent performance.

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To Be an Effective Leader/Follower As time passes and I gain experience, I realize that in order to be an effective leader, I must also be an effective follower. I ve learned that, at times, I ve focused on leading the way up the mountain more than listening to the direction my organization was telling me to go. I thought that was what I was supposed to do. Is it any wonder? How many courses are taught in business schools about being a good follower? Zippo.Nada.None. And while thousands of books and articles have been written about leadership (some even by me), little has been written about being an effective follower. In fact, the abridged dictionary has several definitions of leadership, and Dictionary.com even lists the word in multiple languages, including Estonian, Icelandic, and Slovenian. But there s not one definition listed for followship. I suppose nobody wants to be called a follower because it conveys weakness or blind faith. Images of the children s game of Follow the Leader come to mind, in which whoever copies all the actions of the leader perfectly wins the game. Gee, does any American businessperson in his or her right mind want to be thought of in that way? An organization of androids blindly following a leader is rarely a successful organization. Perhaps the only good advice about being an effective follower can be found in the world s best-selling book of all time: the Bible. I certainly don t believe that I could improve upon that subject matter. The truth is that it takes both effective leadership and followship for an organization to accomplish its goals. It s impossible to be a leader without a following. Put simply: To get things done, a leader must point the way to a common goal and the rest of the organization must follow. By the same token, a leader must earn the right to a following. It s a two-way street, a complex dance, an equal partnership. So, because followship is equally as important as leadership, I m offering up these 10 ways to improve your followship.

Understand the Vision Leaders gain a following by clearly envisioning the future state of the organization and communicating it to all employees. Effective followers understand that vision, ask questions about it, and know how their daily responsibilities fit into accomplishing the common organizational agenda. In other words, they know where they re going and how to get there. Some leaders aren t good communicators, and sometimes they don t have a clear vision for the future. If that s the case, followers must ask questions and offer input that is helpful for moving their organizations toward a defined vision.

Be Engaged Daily Effective followers don t just do their time they spend their time doing. Rather than complaining about what s not right, they get involved in helping the cause. Good followers are loving critics. If they don t like the way things are being done or the direction the company is headed, they get engaged in new ideas and solutions. They maintain an active role and are clear about what they can do to make a difference, and then get on with doing it.

Make Yourself Valuable We all have coworkers who only do what s asked of them and rarely take the initiative to take on a project that they simply know needs to get done. Too many people wait for a leader to tell them what to do, instead of having ideas themselves or being creative and resourceful on their own. They say, Why hasn t anyone trained me on this? or Why doesn t anyone value what I contribute to this organization? Good followers ask, How can I learn how to do this? or How can I make myself more valuable? There s a difference.

Talk About Tough Stuff It s the followers who are closest to operations and customers, and who really know what s working and what s not. Unfortunately, too many organizations have a corporate culture that doesn t allow for the bad news to get to the top. Unless, of course, the person at the top asks for it; then it becomes a game of hot potato over who delivers the bad news. Effective followers get beyond the It s not my problem problem and understand that it s everyone s problem to make the organization the most productive and efficient it can be. They aren t afraid to tell the boss about major issues and they continually ask tough questions to learn what can be done to resolve them. And they aren t afraid to disagree and defend their position if they have information that backs up their point of view. Be Accountable Do you ever play the blame game? It looks like this: Everyone stands in a circle with their arms crossed in front of them, index fingers pointing at the people on eith er side, saying, It s not my fault, it s their fault. Good followers have the courage to deliver what they promise, when they promised it. They do what they said they were going to do, and when they mess up, they face up to it. Responsible and dependable followers get more respect and appreciation from their coworkers and managers, and in turn they respect themselves more.

Tell the Truth Warren G. Bennis, pioneer of the contemporary field of leadership studies and chairman of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said: 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. What a novel idea! Listening to the followers who are closest to the customers, the operations, and the distribution. No wonder Bennis sells so many books!

Build Enthusiasm Enthusiasm cannot be faked. It s the responsibility of a follower to make a conscious choice to either have a positive, enthusiastic attitude at work or to leave the organization. If you are constantly grumbling and complaining, what are you accomplishing for yourself or your organization? Don t be dead weight. Choose to build enthusiasm or else choose to go somewhere else that offers something that you can be enthusiastic about. Life s too short to be unhappy every day.

Challenge Ideas, Support Decisions Leaders rely on their followers to have a critical eye on new ideas and, if they are courageous leaders, will welcome healthy debate about new strategies, product ideas, and operational improvements. But after the debate is over and the decision is made, it s time for followers to get behind the leader and drop the debate. Don t sabotage the idea by dragging your feet, missing deadlines, and putting up obstacles. Put your own agenda to the side, move on, and get the job done. Don t disrespect your leader behind his or her back, but believe that your long-term interests are best served by serving the team, not yourself. When the play is called, you must run the pattern or get off the team.

Have an Open Mind Effective followers also realize that while they may have been with an organization for a long time and have been there, done that, it just may be possible that they don t know it all. They don t criticize new ideas as unworkable, unusable, or just plain stupid. It just may be that your leader has a few good ideas, too. Accept direction and instruction, training, and constructive criticism.

Be a Good Human Being So this leadership-followship thing is really a full circle. You probably have realized that the characteristics of an effective follower are also the characteristics of an effective leader. That s because the line between leader and follower is constantly being blurred: leaders giving direction while listening to what their people are telling them, followers defining customer needs and wants while the leader defines the vision, and leaders earning the right to their following. It s a constant, complex give-and-take dance that we step through every day, isn t it? In the end, being an effective leader or follower is about being a good human being. It s about being self-reliant, cooperative, honest, responsible, and engaged enough to care about making your organization and community a better place. Followers lead by example within their companies, and are often leaders in their families and religious organizations. Both require loyalty, dependability, and unselfishness. Whatever position you find yourself in leader, follower, or, at times, both make sure it s about improving the lives of the stakeholders in your company and the people in your community.

Leader Versus An Effective Leader By SumeerSudhakar A potential Leader may be inside many of you. Some of you worked and even clawed your way to becoming one by now. But is that all? Are you now a 'Leader' in every essence of the term? You may be Top Management too, but as far as 'Leadership' goes - does the ball stop there? Well not necessarily! There is still another rung to climb - to becoming an 'Effective Leader'. Just growth from one rung of the leadership ladder to another does not alone define your effectiveness. There is a small, yet distinctive line between a being a 'Leader' and being an 'Effective Leader'. Very few achieve the latter. Those who have done so successfully are actually the ones, you try to emulate even after achieving your own leadership status. How many other leaders emulate you today? If you have a positive answer to that one, you're on the right track and probably an 'Effective Leader' You can do any number of management courses but the one thing you will never learn from any of these is that an effective leader is actually built from being most 'true to who you really are', and creating with clarity, a focus to a 'specific goal', so imperative to understanding your mission in your position today. I have seen a lot of people take over leadership roles and thereafter immediately attempt to apply their 'bookish' knowledge to their working. Similarly, many attempt to apply their previous experience and methodology into the 'newer environment' assuming its applicability in any leadership role. The truth is this - Education & previous Experience only gives you a 'direction', not the 'method'. Did you know that it is almost an art; knowing how to adapt to change, when and where to use your acquired knowledge, build on the blocks laid down through your education and experience (which also includes 'Life's' experience)? I appreciated the message in the Oscar Winner, "Slumdog Millionaire", wherein the protagonist built his knowledge from experience. Few of us ever attempt to savor these experiences and more importantly apply it effectively at the right time. Understanding that the actual process of adapting to different and changing environments impacts leadership style and methods.

The simple truth about being an effective and respected leader is to tap into your own inner-self to understand your capabilities. Attempting to do things you are not capable of, just because you were taught that or are expected to do; would seldom lead to effective leadership. Knowing yourself involves, identifying your personality without others making one for you, Identifying your own weakness and work on them proactively before others point it out to you, Capitalizing on your strengths and using them well irrespective of whether others think it is put-on or they have it too. As a Leader today, I have used these 5 principles with an aim to be more effective 1) Know and understand clearly your Goal 2) Know, Understand and respect your Resources 3) Don't create too many boundaries 4) Have an absorbing and open mind 5) Know yourself well. It's as simple as that - no big time 'mantra' here! However... easy and maybe to some of you even ridiculous as the above may sound, believe me when I say applying this isn't all that easy and that's wherein you can realize its impact in the form of achievement. The best part of my 5 principle plan is that not only is so do-able, it applies to anyone, in any sort of leadership position - from a Team leader, to a CEO, to a Political Leader. Many of us think we know our goals, it's obvious and it's defined - This is not true. Did you know that in addition to the obvious Goal, you responsibility also includes a significant degree 'Value Addition' and this, is not defined. This value addition will always vary from one individual to another based purely on your capabilities and approach. Your Goal also includes established evide nce of Improvement, Optimization and Foresight. No longer is a leader required to just have a task accomplished via a team. That's kids -play in a corporate world. Anyone can do that. Just because your team under your guidance achieved great quality or timely delivery or customer satisfaction; doesn't alone define the success of your role as their Leader. That is expected, you are paid well for that and it is only a small part of your profile. Building on the above success and creating from it newer and more advanced ones is really what the challenge is about. Leadership is a constantly evolving role. Just as you reach one goal, your find newer and more challenging ones already queued up in front of you. And when you see that there is no queue, even then, there is always more to be done since, good can be better, better can be best, best can be perfect, perfect can be... well.......lets just say 'Better than Perfect'. Don't satisfy yourself so easily. Create new goals. As long as you are healthy and still working, remember you can always take one more step.

There is this amazing quote that 'Real leaders create more leaders, not followers'. This really gives you a direction towards understanding your mission. If you look deep into this quote and then look at much of the current crop of our political leaders or maybe even some 'Top Shots' within your own organization; You will see wherein exactly lies the difference between a 'Leader' and an 'Effective Leader'. Just being a leader is not enough. We have enough of them. Try to stand out. YOU, your name, your work should have made an impact in some form or another such that there are others who are happy to emulate you. Be an Effective Leader and leave your mark! Born and brought up in New Delhi, India, SumeerSudhakar is the Head of Human Resources for a reputed joint venture international travel BPO based in Gurgaon, India. With a more than of 15 years of experience him much of it in a leadership role, he believes the process of growth as a leader is in a continuous state of evolution. Like wine it just gets maturer with time. As part of his responsibility as a Leader, He has always believed and encouraged the new generation of youngsters in understanding the relevance, importance and possibility of creating achievements every day with a focused aim toward becoming tomorrows leader. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sumeer_Sudhakar