What is the best type of follower?

Proactive, independent and able to think critically, effective followers are also respectful of the leader's authority. Effective followers are life-long learners. They practice self-leadership, take responsibility, are committed and seek feedback to continuously improve their performance.

leaderwholeads.com - Types of Followers - Leadership Development

What destroys a good friendship?

It is extremely easy to ruin the friendship when obligation or coercion is an element in your relationship. You should never make your friend feel...

Last updated Mar 11, 2018

How can I work from home with no experience?

10 Work from Home Jobs that Require Little or No Experience (Entry Level Jobs) Administrative Assistant. ... Customer Service Representative. ......

Last updated Mar 2, 2020

Promotion

Types of Followers

Just as there are different types of leaders, there are also different types of followers. Even if you hold a leadership position, you are also a follower. For those who have a dual role, it is wise to understand theories about both leadership and followership. Gaining a better understanding of those you lead can help you become a more effective leader. Are you a female in the Corporate workplace? If so, you will want to check out the top challenges women face in the workplace.

Followership

According to Merriam-Webster, followership is defined as "the capacity or willingness to follow a leader." R. E. Kelley in his work “In Praise of Followers” identifies five (5) types:

Sheep "Yes" People Alienated Survivor Effective

The types are measured along two dimensions: Active vs. Passive and Independent vs. Dependent

A visual representation is shown below, along with a description of each.

Types of Followers

Most leaders love their "star players" - those who take initiative and do what needs to be done without having to be told or minimal prodding. But a true test of leadership requires the willingness and capacity to develop direct reports who need more guidance and hands on supervision.

To discover characteristics of each type of follower, please see below.

Alienated Followers

Kelley describes the alienated follower as one who is independent and thinks critically, but they are passive. Because they are passive, they do not use their strengths to help the team achieve its goals. They have something of value to offer but choose not to do so. Their passivity distances them from the leader and their team members. Of the five types, alienated followers tend to be the most disruptive. When they do not agree with a decision or course of direction, often they will not offer their input but readily offer passive resistance. Refusing to cooperate without telling why serves to magnify the conflict.

When dealing with this type of follower, these should prove helpful:

Sheep/Passive

Sheep are passive AND dependent. As such, they may not think critically, tend to do as they are told, and rarely put forth an opposing opinion.

They are leave the thinking to their leader.

These attributes serve neither them nor their fellow teammates.

Because they require constant supervision and prodding, this type of follower negatively affects team dynamics and performance. As the leader, addressing this behavior head on in a positive way could turn things around. This may be the perfect time to give some performance feedback and support to develop their ability to make a valuable contribution to the team.

Yes People/Conformist

Can the government take your money?

So, in short, yes, the IRS can legally take money from your bank account. Now, when does the IRS take money from your bank account? As we stated,...

Last updated Aug 14, 2022

What is the most used social media platform as of 2022?

Facebook The latest statistics show that Facebook continues to reign strong as the king of social media, with 2.93 billion active users in 2022....

Last updated Sep 7, 2019

Promotion

Yes People are active, but they are dependent AND do not think critically. Because they are conformist, they will agree with the leader without question and rarely challenge the status quo. Their major concern is avoiding conflict. As such, these types of followers pose a danger to the leader and themselves due to their unwillingness and inability to put forth challenging viewpoints, which could produce a better outcome.

Sometimes "Yes, boss!" is not the best response.

Survivors

Survivors are chameleonic. They are adaptable, but not in a positive way.

Changing their opinions and behavior as the situation arises, this type of follower goes with the flow. To them, following the path of least resistance serves as protection and keeps them out of the line of fire. Survivors are most interested in playing it safe rather than taking a risk. Their greatest fear? The fear of making a mistake. But unsound fear proves to be our foe, not a friend.

Effective/Dynamic

Proactive, independent and able to think critically, effective followers are also respectful of the leader’s authority. Effective followers are life-long learners. They practice self-leadership, take responsibility, are committed and seek feedback to continuously improve their performance. Also known as “dynamic followers” they are very valuable to leaders and the team. Because of their consistent and high quality contributions, this type of follower is often a trusted advisor to leaders who lead. Of the five types of followers, this is the one I most strive to be. And hope you do too!

Are you looking to lead?

One of the most exhilarating times of my career was moving into a permanent leadership position. If that is on your radar, you will find some helpful resources at Leader Who Leads. Please check out:

Want To Know More?

Wow, we have covered quite a bit of territory here. You may be wondering how to best use the information described above. Ask yourself, "Of the five types of followers, which one do I identify with most?" Think about it. Assess yourself and consider getting a second opinion. Ask for feedback, from your leader and members of your team. This just might help you become a member of the effective followers club, even if you are a leader.

Remember, followership and leadership, both are needed for leaders who lead.

Are you a female in the Corporate workplace? If so, you will want to check out the top challenges women face in the workplace.

Please join me for my upcoming webinar!

This Form cannot be submitted until the missing

What are the three qualities a recruiter needs?

The following qualities of a recruiter are more or less non-negotiable when it comes to talent acquisition. Good communication skills. ... Manage...

Last updated Sep 19, 2019

Why do you want to work here?

Express your personal passion for the employer's product/service/mission. Employers want to know you're passionate about what they do, whether it...

Last updated Mar 19, 2022

Promotion

fields (labelled below in red) have been filled in Register for Upcoming Webinar Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in. First Name* E-Mail Address* Street Address* Country* Country United States Canada ---------------- Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribadi North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Federated States of Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Montenegro Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Island Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda S. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls. Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St. Helena St. Pierre and Miquelon Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam US Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Yugoslavia (former) Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe Please enter the word that you see below.

leaderwholeads.com - Types of Followers - Leadership Development