POSITION PAPER
ON
WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT: LEADERSHIP OR FOLLOWERSHIP?
1. The purpose of this paper is to advocate that followership is more important than leadership. The first main point considers that an individual must first be a follower in order to know how to lead others. The main point of the opposition to this view is that leaders are the ones in command and might already possess leadership traits by birth rite. The last main point reinforces why followership is more important than leadership by illustrating leading through followership of mentors.
2. You must first be a follower to be an effective leader. Retired Air Force Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger states, “Leadership is not a commodity to be bought at the price of followership.”1
…show more content…
Leading through followership of mentors shows that above all, followership is more important than leadership. The lessons learned from role models ultimately sets not only the mentee on a path towards success, but the organization as well. In reference to being a professional Airman and a transformational leader as mentioned in paragraph two; traits, skills, and characteristics are passed down from the predecessor. The successor will then gain the courage it takes to stand up for what is right and speak on their mentors direction and adapt it as their own.16 The acquired knowledge through following mentors dynamically and effectively mold mentees into leaders, which in turn establishes confidence needed to master tasks and leadership when confronted with organizational challenges.17 Everyone faces challenges and is a subordinate to someone else.18 What a person experiences will be the cornerstone he or she refers to when leading subordinates.19 “After all, even the greatest of military leaders must start at the bottom. We must learn to follow before we can lead.”20
5. In conclusion, this position paper explained why followership is more important than leadership. The paper showed that individuals must first know how to follow in order to lead others. The opposition stated that leaders command and direct followers and might already possess leadership traits from the moment of their birth. The last main point reinforced why followership is more important than leadership by
It seems self-evident that one cannot be a leader unless he or she has followers; put differently, one cannot hold a leadership role unless others are prepared to hold followership roles. These roles are more or less symbiotic - done effectively, each role can support and benefit the other. Nevertheless, the term “follower” has acquired a negative connotation, and leadership is generally considered to be the pinnacle to which we should all strive in our working lives, if not our personal lives as well. However, thanks to the work of authors such as Robert E. Kinney, who introduced the concept of followership, the characteristics, roles and paths of followers now receive increased attention. Kinney’s groundbreaking article, “In Praise of Followers”, appears along with the work of other authors on followership in The Leaders Companion.
The leader by its meaning is one who goes first and leads by example and then the other will followed him after being motivated. The above diagram can be explain as; with the three combinations, the person or the leader will influence the other people or the follower to achieve the purpose or goal. In order to achieve the goal, the leader must have a deep rooted commitment to the goal that he will strive to achieve even if nobody follows him (Wong, 2007). The follower also can influence the leader in order to achieve the goal.
Becoming a leader is never an easy task. It is complex with rational decision making and accepting responsibility for those decisions. Being the leader, does not mean that you always make the best choice, but it does mean you learn and grow from all you experiences. Sometimes becoming a leader is not a choice, but a responsibility that you inherit. Leaders are not born, but are created through trial and error. A true leader cares for his subordinate and will always respect, listen, and mentor them, but a true leader will also discipline correct subordinates when needed. Sometimes a leader needs to depend on his faith and look to a higher power, so that he can make choices with guidance.
There have been countless books, lectures, and and trainings, and retreats constructed around the idea of cultivating leadership in an individual. However, cultivating individuals’ ability to follow great leadership has received far less attention. Who are these people leading if each person within an organization is being trained to be a leader? The word follower has negative connotations, evoking the images of a weak, uncreative, milquetoast personality. However, Jimmy Collins, in his book, “Creative Followership: In the Shadow of Greatness”, suggests that the ability to be led brings as much creativity, consciousness, and indeed leadership to an organization or team as the leader himself. Great followership is a reflection of great leadership. In this, the follower is just as important as the leader in the relationship. Many great leaders have asserted that a leader with even a modicum of understanding of what drives their subordinates can take their organization to previously undreamt-of heights in creativity and productivity. Collins does not disabuse us of this notion, he does however add that the follower is indispensable agent in this interplay between leader and follower.
Leadership describes a characteristic that often helps others that need guidance. A true leader exemplifies strong initiative and notably different from others. A leader starts something new for people to try out instead of old traditions. Being a good leader helps prevent bad things from happening. If a person conducts themselves as a follower that person places themselves at risk of participating in the wrong thing. Followers cause harm to many people in Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery”, the villagers follow their leaders by practicing the same old traditions that cause harm or even death. People need leaders instead of followers. Followers potentially get hurt by following the wrong leadership.
“In order to be a good leader, there are two things to remember. Lead from the Front and always set the Example. From these two leadership principles, everything else will fall into place.”
There tend to be a variety of concepts regarding how, as well as what should undergo consideration when developing leadership in individuals. Scholars have different suggestions on the kind of approaches that should get observed during the practice. As a result, this paper seeks to unravel various forms of leadership approaches, as well as suggesting the best theory that should be in use when creating a perfect leader. Additionally, the work will establish ways of determining the effectiveness of a leadership program.
...ent opinions. Many studies have been done and know one still knows what makes a true leader. We are far from finding conclusive answers to them. Even those individuals with extensive knowledge of leadership research may be poor leaders. Leadership does not occur without followers, and followership is an easily neglected component of the leadership process. Leadership is everyone business and everyone responsibility. Thinking about leadership can help a person become a better leader than you are right now. In conclusion, my opinion is as follows. The leadership process is a total learning process. We all are leaders in our own way at different times in our lives. For example a father or mother with children, their children look to them for guidance. They also learn their values and about their culture through them. That is having leadership abilities. Friends look to each other for advice and different experiences that each of them have done. Some people perform leadership acts on the daily basis and don´t even realize it until they think about it or until someone brings it to their attention. That´s why it´s said that a part of learning about leadership is to always think about it.
To be a leader you need to be able to inspire others, get people motivated, and set an example to other people. A leader needs to do all of these because if one of these aspects fails people don’t look at the leader...
In this essay provide the reasons why leadership become the main issues in this century, and demonstrate the factors which influence the challenge to
One very important aspect of a great leader is to lead by example. Any person in a position to guide others cannot ask the team to do one thing and act in the complete opposite way. This is a sure way to show that the leader has a need to show power and quickly loose respect from those who should be learning from him or her. Being a role model is importan...
Does leadership make a difference? One could venture to say that the answer depends on the perspective of the leader or the organization. This is a question that often irked me when it comes to professional sports. A team has a poor season and the coach is fired. For example, former Eagles coach Andy Reid will lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs this year while his replacement, Coach Chip Kelly, was fired last month by the Eagles (Ducey, 2015). From the organization’s perspective, it would appear that leadership had a significant impact on organizational performance. Eagles CEO stated that he “spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined
In my own personal experience leading by example has been one of the most effective leadership strategies I have employed. Before joining the military I worked for a company that taught people to
One of the most important components of leadership is the leader. A leader is responsible for his or her followers and the overall goal of the group or organization. Leaders are the people held accountable or everything that happens, good or bad. On the other hand, the second major component of leadership is the followers. Without followers, a leader would be worthless. Followers make up the backbone of a leader because they are the masses that get goals accomplished. A leader is just one person, but the number of followers is countless. In order to be an effective follower, there are a countless number of characteristics that allow a follower to be the best they can be. Five of these characteristics include a positive attitude, communication skills, being part of the process, being open to new ideas, and patience.
I believe true leadership is a quality many aspire to have, and only a few truly obtain, because in order to become a leader you must first learn to follow.