When challenging a leaders flawed plans and proposals it is important for the follower to?

By Angela Chammas  |   Submitted On March 27, 2010

The leader and follower structure indicates that leaders need followers and followers need leaders. In other words, leaders not only provide support to those that follow them but followers in return are needed to support the leader in their quest to achieve success. The truth is leaders and followers are not separate entities; instead, they come together to form a dynamic relationship. That's why the statement, "there is no leader in the absence of followers" emphasizes the importance of the role of the follower.

This leads us to the question of "what role do followers have in making the leader successful?" The role of the follower can take on many functions including improving the relationship, resisting improper influence, providing advice and coaching, and challenging flawed plans and policies. All of these are roles and others allow the follower to actively contribute to the success and effectiveness of the leader.

Some of the specific roles and behaviors great followers exhibit that contribute to the success of a leader include the following:

1. Being a courageous follower, challenging flawed plans and proposals - Great followers are not afraid to challenge the leader when they feel the leader is making a mistake or going down the wrong path. A follower must be courageous enough to voice his or her opinion, challenge current thinking and challenge leadership decisions that they believe are misguided or unethical. A great follower knows that one of the most important responsibilities they have to their leader is to provide accurate feedback on the leaders plans. By doing so they ensure that the leader has the necessary information to make critical decisions.
2. Supporting the leaders vision and their efforts to make necessary changes- Great followers support the leaders decisions and strategies by working cooperatively and conscientiously and extending the leaders vision to others throughout the organization. This helps to develop trust and support between the leader and followers. However, followers must also be okay with doing a credibility check on the leader. When leaders ask followers to follow their strategic direction and to support their vision for a better future, followers must be willing to ask themselves the tough question, based on past experiences can this leader be trusted, and act accordingly. When a follower follows someone they do not trust, they not only run the risk of eroding their own self-esteem but also diminish their own professional value to the organization as well in the process.
3. Encouraging a relationship of open and honest feedback - Great followers encourage the leader to provide honest feedback about his or her performance. This is also one way to improve mutual trust between the leader and the follower. By continuing to encourage the leader to provide feedback, the follower helps to develop effective coaching and performance management capabilities within the leader.
4. Appreciating and recognizing effective leadership - Everyone wants to know that their efforts are making a difference and that they are appreciated including leaders. Great followers are comfortable with expressing appreciation and offering praise when a leader achieves a major milestone, solves a critical problem and/or delivers on a mission critical goal. The very act of showing appreciation and praise helps to reinforce desirable and effective leadership practices. It is also a way to help create a more trusting and favorable relationship between the follower and leader when done with the utmost sincerity.
5. Openly supporting agreed to leadership decisions - Great followers understand the importance of showing unity and loyalty to decisions that are made. Just as leaders have a responsibility to listen to the ideas of followers, in return, followers have a responsibility to support the agreed to decisions.
6. Upwardly coaching and counseling the leader when appropriate - Coaching is normally viewed as something that happens as part of a leader behavior but followers also have the opportunity to coach leaders as part of the process of being a follower. Followers who provide helpful advice, suggestions for improvement and insightful information for the leader enable opportunities for the leader to continually learn.

The truth of the matter is, it takes both the leader and the follower working together in a dynamic relationship, each one clearly executing on the critical role they have in the relationship, to accomplish effective leadership. Therefore, it is important to realize that, as a powerful and great follower, individuals have a great opportunity to directly create a profound effect on leadership success. And just as the process of being a great follower helps leaders grow and succeed, in most cases, followers will find they also learn, develop and grow along the way.

Angela Chammas M.Ed., M.S., CPC, is CEO and Managing Principal, for The Chammas Group, LLC, a life and leadership consulting and coaching organization. Angela is a professional speaker, certified professional coach, consultant, author and trainer. She has extensive experience and expertise in strategic leadership, adult training and professional development, executive and leadership coaching, organization management, operational excellence and process improvement. Visit her website for more information at http://www.thechammasgroup.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Angela_Chammas/309823

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