Many volumes have been written about great Leaders and how to become a better Leader. Very little has been written about Followers and how to be a better Follower. Followership seem to be a neglected area in the many studies of Human Interaction. My experience has repeatedly demonstrated that there are two things that are essential to willing and eager Followership: Trust and Confidence.
Trust between the Follower and the Leader is fostered differently for each individual, yet there are questions common to most Followers that must be answered affirmatively before they are willing to follow a Leader: Do I know what the Leader stands for? Do I believe in the Leader's integrity? Do I believe that the Leader will do the next right thing?
Confidence between the Follower and the Leader rests upon beliefs in each other's skills, reliability, and judgement. Again, the levels of confidence stem from perceptions that vary from one individual to the next but some questions common to most followers must be answered affirmatively before they are willing to follow a Leader: Does the Leader have a vision that I can share? Does the Leader have the skills, support and energy to effectively lead me to the achievement of the stated goal? If things start going wrong, does the Leader have the ability to help make them right?
If Trust and Confidence between the Leader and the Followers is the minimum requirement for willing and eager Followership, where do you stand? Do you enjoy a high level of Trust and Confidence with your Followers? With your Leaders? What can you do to strengthen these two vital elements of Followership?
-Lieutenant Colonel (ret'd) Ron Guidinger BEng, MBA, PEng, PMP