A633.7.3.RB – Leader Follower Relationship
According
to the guidelines for the assessment in chapter ten, the ideal score in each
column is four and is based on strategies one should employ in various
situations. Each strategy has either people focus or a goal focus. Strategy 1
(S1): Tell (Low People, High Goal) is as simple as showing someone how to do
something. Strategy 2 (S2): Sell (High People, High Goal) is where the benefits
of a certain proposal are laid out in order to achieve buy-in. Strategy 3 (S3):
Involve (High People, Low Goal) is used when a leader wants to hold back to see
if the follower can discover the solution. Strategy 4 (S4): Devolve (Low
People, Low Goal) is where the leader is hands off and practicing in a ‘wu wei’
state of inaction (Obolensky, 2010).
My score
for S1 was five, S2 was two, S3 was seven, and S4 was two. Based on my
scores, I tend to hold back and let others try to discover the solutions. The
results show, I may be working too hard, which means I am not letting go well
enough either. Additionally, scores show my tendency to be direct in my
approach. I am not surprised by the results at all. My approach has always been
very direct and, at times, I know that makes me come off as unfriendly and a
bit cold. However, this is not my intention but I do not sugar code words. I
prefer the truth to diplomacy. I am also not surprised by the assessment specifying,
I work too hard and do not let go as well as I could. Many times, I have
bitten off more than I can chew in an effort to be “everything to everybody.” Hence,
I have learned the hard lesson, that in the end the only affected person will
be myself.
Over the
course of the last six weeks, several things stand out as important
revelations. I have always had a deep respect for upper-level leaders but I
have also pushed and gotten upset if leaders did not know something. To me, it
has always been important to have leaders who know what they are doing. This
class has helped reinforce the fact that we are all human and, as such, we will
make mistakes and not have all the answers—but that is okay. I have also never
really given much thought to the importance of followers in an organization. I
have always aspired to be a good follower but as Kelley (1988) suggested in his
article, “followership dominates our lives and organizations, but not our
thinking, because our preoccupation with leadership keeps us from considering
the nature and importance of followers” (p. 143). I am now more cognizant
of this role and its importance. Most important of all, has been the idea
of balancing opposites by thinking in terms of both/and rather than either/or.
In terms
of my future leadership goals and objectives, these concepts will help into
leading me to a future that is flexible and adaptable as I continue to evolve personally
and professionally. I will continue to work on letting go more. I will
also accept my humanness with humility and the understanding that setting a
good example for those around me is one of the most important things I can
do.
References
Kelley, R. E. (1988). In Praise of Followers. Harvard
Business Review, 66(6), 142-148.
Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. (2nd
Edition). London, UK: Gower/Ashgate.
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