Philosophy on Followership free essay sample

In this paper I will discuss what followership is to me and what is expected out of a follower. I will introduce followers from different realms and show what they did to become the famous people they are today. Also I will be introducing bad followership. Values on Followers No one is born a leader, and for sure no one jumps into a leadership role without first being a follower. No matter how many times you here the phrase â€Å"A good leader is also a good follower† or if you never heard of it before, it still holds itself to be true. But before a follower can become a leader, one must be a good follower to prove their self to become that leader. There are plenty different aspects of a good follower. Some for example according to The Latimer Group would be to carry one’s own weight, celebrating performance of others, and contributing to the process. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy on Followership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are also plenty of leaders in history who showed excellent followership before they went on to become a leader. Good followers are important because bad ones could cause problems both internally and externally within an organization. The aspects listed above show what it is like to be a leader. The Latimer Group explained the aspects like this: why celebrate the performance of others, because followers congratulate the success of their team members, or squad, or what have you. Good followers love to see their team succeed. Followers should be thinking â€Å"we† as a group, and rarely should be thinking of just â€Å"I† as an individual. It gets to a point though when a follower should realize that cheering on others is good but they should also be carrying on their own weight and not just watching others do the work for them. The follower should be part of the process, not just along for the ride, but putting in work for the team, and contributing whenever possible and appropriate. The Latimer Group brought up some good points, but I personally think there were a few things that they missed. For instance I believe a good follower should understand communication. By communication I mean the chain of command and that a good follower understands and respects it. When a good follower shows that he or she understands the chain of command they understand where to go to ask questions and they understand the ine of authority and responsibility within the organization. Not only are there plenty of leaders in history who were once followers but there are also great followers who serve just as important roles as the leader and are just as acknowledged as much. The website michaelhyatt. com, gave the example that Joshua followed Moses for many years, forty to be exact, before he finally led the children of Israel int o the Promised Land. Another famous one but also a fantasy is the well-known Batman and Robin duo. There were plenty of instances when Robin had to save Batman out of a tight squeeze. More importantly Batman chose the follower Robin, also considered to be Batman’s sidekick, to be his relief when it was time for Batman to hang up the cape. This brings the point that many times a follower would be set so he or she could surpass or one day become that leader their self. After all, people age and eventually the old gets replaced with the new so it is up to the leaders of today to inspire and teach the followers to become the leaders of tomorrow. Bad followership could be a major problem within an organization. I stated that it could cause problems internally and externally. The fact is that the two resemble one another, meaning that internal problems within an organization will harm getting the work done and then causing an external problem to where others can see that there is an issue. The key is to acknowledge the bad followers before they can become an influence within a group. An example of bad followership that was pointed out well by Phillip S. Meilinger in his article â€Å"The 10 Rules of Good Followership† a follower shouldn’t blame their boss for an unpopular decision. This could be bad because a follower may not realize it but he himself may be looked up upon by other people within the organization and in turn they start to become a bad follower as well, thus becoming a bad influence in the organization against the mission at hand. It is the follower’s job to support decisions that have been made not to undermine them and throw it away just because the person didn’t like it. The aspects that were explained showed what it takes for a person to be a great follower. It pointed out key factors that should be recognized. â€Å"A good leader is also a good follower† is proven to be in true both in history with Joshua and Moses and in other ways such as through TV shows with Batman and Robin. Good followers are important because bad ones could cause bad influences within organizations and ruin the mission at hand. Ultimately it is up to the leaders of today to instruct the leaders of tomorrow.