What makes a good leader is a common question that continues to vex some of the most influential personalities. But why is that, so? One way of looking at it is; if you’re a good follower you’re destined to be a good leader.
As Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader”.
Team members often draw inspiration from the leader; if you do not have the personality traits that make you a good follower, it is highly unlikely that you can influence people to follow you.
Leadership doesn’t necessarily come with a designation or post but people skills that dictate your mannerisms and way of interacting with people.
Common Struggles Faced By People Who Aren’t Good Followers
Followership is a matter of choice and not something that can be forced upon an individual.
When you wish to follow by your own free will, you’re committing yourself to abide by certain rules and regulations that will dictate your behavior.
It requires conforming to certain principles which you as a leader expect your followers to abide by.
That is why serving in the capacity of a leader becomes an effortless task once you’ve learnt to follow religiously.
However, for those who aren’t good followers often have to struggle with certain aspects of leadership like:
- Empowering team members with decision-making powers. They have their qualms with relinquishing authority to their subordinates or even giving them enough discretion to exercise their will in day-to-day activities.
- Empathizing with the needs of their team and what they feel about a certain issue. Relating to your team members is important to ensure that everyone is on the same page and there is no lack of communication.
- If a leader is not a good follower, they may not have the patience to listen to their subordinates and develop an understanding of the subject matter at hand. Or even more, communicate their thought processes to his team members.
Followership Is Like Apprenticeship
It can be aptly said that followership is similar to being trained to be a good leader. Being a good leader is often an act of emulating the leadership qualities that your leader had. Hence, it follows that in order to be a master in a certain domain you must first learn to master the art of apprenticeship.
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