Not to be confused with a social media follower, a follower is defined as someone who acknowledges the focal leader as the primary source of guidance about the work, regardless of how much formal authority the leader actually has over the person.
The follower, through experience, determines the effectiveness of that leader based on the quality of their decision making, their honesty, and behaviour, not on their bravado or status.
Unlike a subordinate who has no influence on the leaders intellectual decision making, a follower is empowered through delegation and consultation, and feels a sense of responsibility and ownership for the success of a plan.
As WO2 Simon Lash AGC(SPS) Regimental Administrative Warrant Officer 26 Engineer Regiment explains in LEADERSHIP INSIGHT No 16 - Jul 2019:
A good follower is an active follower who thinks, in military parlance, ‘2-Up’. In doing so they start to make decisions for the greater good, for the team, for the organisation and they avoid parochialism.
This requires a participative leadership style, which itself reflects the amount of influence a leader will embrace from their followers. This can be seen on a continuum:
Autocratic decision-making Consultation Joint decision-making Delegation
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No influence by others High influence by others
In determining the trustworthiness of leaders of an organisation, followers assess the behaviour of their leaders by the:
· ability or competence of their leaders to lead the organisation
· benevolence and goodwill displayed by those leaders towards other stakeholders
· perceived integrity or moral code guiding the behaviours and actions of those leaders
· consistency with which that ability, benevolence and integrity is applied over time.
(Hope-Hailey et al 2014a, 8, drawing on Mayer et al 1995, Dietz and Den Hartog 2006)
Conclusions
It is through experience that one develops confidence in the team, confidence in the leadership process, and ultimately, the self-confidence to assume a leadership role in a team. Just as importantly, one also develops a servant leadership style with the humility to transition between a leader and a follower depending on the context and needs of the organisation/team. This is the backbone of leadership in SF environments.
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