The Power in Following

By Jeff Bell.

There’s more to leadership than a position at the front.

Of course, every leader has their following.  And ideally that following will be big enough and last long enough for the organisation’s purpose to be realised and the leader’s vision to be fulfilled. 

In my previous post, I quoted from the book The Art of Quiet Influence, by Jocelyn Davis and her work with Forum.  You may recall that the brand of influence that Davis highlights is the art of getting things done–this means engaging and guiding people in pursuit of the cause, apart from any positional authority. 

But, as Davis points out, this leadership must not only follow the influencing style, it must reach beyond those who like and support the leader. 

What about those who are yet to join and even those who may see themselves as adversaries and even detractors of the leader?  These people, the non-followers at any given time, will provide the sternest test of the leader and their ability to influence.

So, she says:

“Only those who reach out to adversaries, aligning with them and winning them over, are the ultimate influencers.”

Recognising this, how does the Leader by Influence address followship?  What is the leader’s position.  Looking for opportunities to lift them up?  Robert Chase Townsend (1920-1998) was an American business executive and author who is noted for transforming Avis into a rental car giant.  With a similar outlook on the influencing model, he was famed for saying:

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.”

This was a reasonably radical view when Townsend was at the peak of his career, but one which has gained significant currency since.  In my view, to draw great followship, the impetus comes from the leader, who needs to:

1. Be trustworthy, ensuring a congruence between what is said and what is done.
2. Articulate the dual purpose of the organisation–the logical and the emotional.
3. Articulate the values and their indicative behaviours for everyone to understand and follow.
4. Set a vision that will inspire people to inclusion and to high performance.
5. Provide a problem-solving and decision-making methodology.
6. Set boundaries of authority so followers can function comfortably within them.
7. Set goals for performance that challenge, not defeat or demoralise.
8. Recognise out-performance either by financial or non-financial rewards.
9. Develop team building and inclusion practices to the extent that the teams are self-leading.
10. Demonstrate how to deal with conflict between teams and individuals in the business.

I believe that everyone is capable of leadership.  And there are opportunities every day to put that into action.  But in business, a minority has more opportunities than the majority to exercise leadership, making most people followers in most situations.  

Rather than blindly following, what contribution can anyone make to the successful leadership of any cause or organisation? What can followers provide that will deliver the motion, the power, that will support the leader and make the organisation truly successful?

The follower can:

1. Work hard, be diligent and conscientious.
2. Understand that anyone can provide leadership in the day-to-day work.
3. Provide leadership within the context of the role–taking initiative, setting high standards.
4. While harbouring reasonable ambition, put aside any urge to be the boss.
5. Share–especially with newcomers–the knowledge and practices built up in the role.
6. Provide ideas for improvement in how the work is done.
7. Commit to self-development for the mutual benefit of the business.
8. Be calm when dealing with conflict.
9. Be kind to those who are struggling.
10. Be generous to those who contribute.

The leader should also expose themselves to followship.  There will be opportunities within their own role where they can act with appropriate humility and pass their authority to others who may take the lead. Then they may provide the support at the direction of the leader for that matter at hand.

The more that the leader can stand aside from positional authority to exert personal influence, the better for the follower–and for the leader. 

The power in following flows in both directions.