No Followers No Leaders

In 2012, research by Bersin and Associates indicated that US business spending on leadership development will rise 14 percent from 2011 levels or come very close to $13.6 billion. That information was easy to find. you just google Money spent on leadership training and there it is

But leaders don’t exist without followers, so it would seem that “follower development” would be just as important as leadership development and just as easy to find. No, this is not the case. The best I can determine is that no one keeps any records of how much money is spent on “followers.” Yes, there are some articles on follow-up, but there is no mention of proposing any kind of follow-up training. I wonder; “Why is that.”

It is almost a no-brainer to conclude that followers, in any work unit, do most of the work. Consequently, much of the training for leaders focuses on what to do to build a more effective team of followers, you know, how to get them to do more work faster at less cost.

Those who aspire to lead frequently engage in activities that they believe will create and motivate followers. Some of those activities, like sharing the goals of the organization, giving everyone a plastic-covered copy for their wallets or purses, and framing them for the office lobby seem about right, but they often miss the mark. The reason, the expected followers, do not see how these objectives will benefit them. In other words, most followers or potential followers are inspired and motivated by a clear understanding of What’s in it for them?.

That’s what effective leaders do. They inspire and motivate people to follow them because they can paint a clear picture of the goal and how achieving it will benefit those involved. So what is the job of the follower?

The answer to that question could be translated into follower training. And because all good leaders must first have been good followers, many would want to know; How do I become a good follower? Here are some thoughts on how to become a good follower:

Be self aware-Know yourself
Be clear about your values-If you don’t know what you stand for, you will fall in love with anything.
have written goals-Clear goals in writing are more important than almost anything
Know how your goals and the goals of the organization are similar-In those areas of similarity you can add value to the organization while adding value to yourself
Understand that leaders are not perfect-Don’t expect your leader to be perfect. Know the flaws you can tolerate and the ones you can’t.
Work harder on yourself than on your job-It takes more than hard work to get ahead. You have to improve to be better.
Learn how you can best support your leader-Know what your leader wants and help him achieve it. Someone will return the favor. We can all use a little help.