A633.6.5.RB - Circle of Leadership

This circle of leadership is interesting in that followers and leaders can make or break this cycle by making a few small changes.  Within the organization as a whole I don’t think this happens too much where the follower constantly has to ask if he/she is doing their job to the point where the leader feels the need to step in and take more of a hands on approach.  If leaders have to constantly step in to ensure that their followers are doing what they are supposed to be doing in essence babysitting them then there is a huge breakdown in communication, trust and faith in both followers and leaders.

An organization that has leaders and followers like this cannot expect to do well in the long run nor will they be ready for change or innovation of any kind because they will be so busy running around this circle.  If the follower is not showing confidence in their ability and this makes the leader question or become concerned to the point where they have to step in then the followers confidence sinks even lower to the point where he/she feels that they have to question more and it goes around and around.  Are you getting dizzy yet?

So what can we do to keep this from happening?  For starters there has to be open communication for the follower and the leader.  What is expected on both sides should be one of the first things covered.  If you have a follower who is level 1 the goal should be to get them to level 3 as soon as possible and them to level 5 soon after.  This means that the follower must bring their confidence out and prove that they can take the initiative.  As a leader you should make it known that in the beginning you will be there to guide and challenge, to take them from level 1 to level 5. 

You should be there to mentor and help but give the follower the room to make decisions without feeling like they have to keep coming to you to ask if what they did was ok.  This is where the give and take comes in to play.  Setting the standards of want you expect with help with this.  The same applies to the follower.  Be clear both on how the leader works and how communication works on both sides.  Here is how I think the cycle would work to promote strong followership at the lower levels.

 The first block would be followers and leaders sharing their expectations, second block would be leaders mentoring and followers asking questions, third block followers give input and ideas, the fourth block leaders listen and take ideas up and the last block would be followers and leaders inform in a routine way.