"Developing 'followership' key to my learning"

I left “how did I learn what I know” dangling with a critically important question – “who will be the leaders of your generation?”

Arguably, few set out in life with the aim or goal of becoming a leader let alone a leader of their generation.  There are however, activities, events, and opportunities albeit formal or informal serving as pivotal “learnings” of and for leadership.  

Youth sports, scouting, faith based programs and the like are but a few of the activities for developing leadership.  Clubs, committees, student council, and sororities or fraternities are also opportunities in learn, develop and exercise leadership.   Each of these and more were a part of my learning, my development.

Additional opportunities in developing my leadership was and remains today through reading and listening to those in position of leadership.  I credit the late E.V. Hill from whom I first heard “if you are out leading and you turn around and no one is following, you are just out on a walk”.  Indeed, a critical understanding of leadership – developing followership.

Followership and developing followership take on many forms.  One form is modeling – modeling purpose, drive, passion, risk, and humility to name just a few of the behaviors necessary to create followership. 

It sounds easy. 

However, don’t confuse easy with simple.

For example, it is easy to have a title or position of leadership that by its’ very nature requires followers or subordinates.  Positional leadership, however, does not endear followers or compel followers to commitment (reference compliance versus commitment).  Followership embodies commitment whereas subordination more often or not results in compliance.

I have learned a first step towards developing followership is an understanding of the components of a three-strand rope. 

Huh?

Often we take for granted the strength or integrity of the three-strand rope.  Woven together, three distinct, individual threads become an incredibly powerful tool.  Each thread or strand in and of itself has strength but combined, the three-strand rope becomes significantly stronger and powerful.

Consider the leadership threads of authority, responsibility, and accountability.  Like the three-strand rope all three threads must be woven together to achieve the strength, utility, and integrity of leadership that develops followership. Each thread is underpinned by an attitude, a process, a sense of ownership, perspective, and continuous application.

Intended as a definition of accountability, I have taken a liberty to add authority and responsibility to accountability to create a powerful understanding of leadership that begets followership.

Accountability is…

Responsibility is … and

Authority is …

“An attitude of continually asking, “what else can I do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire?”  It is the process of “seeing it, owning it, solving it, and doing it.”  It requires a level of ownership that includes making, keeping, and proactively answering for personal commitments.  It is a perspective that embraces both current and future efforts rather than reactive and historical explanations (Connors, Smith & Hickman, 1994; page 65).

Attempting to combine the three threads of accountability, responsibility and authority without the attitude, process, ownership, perspective, or continuous application as Connors et al espouse will not result in “followership”.  That is, the type of followership necessary to achieve the results we desire or expect.

Circling back to how did I learn what I know – a key learning has been the understanding of “followership” and its development.  To do so first began and continues today with the application of the three-strand rope concept embodied by the aforementioned definition of accountability.

Developing “followership” without a framework will be at best frustrating and at worse futile.  Thus, developing followership is one of my key learnings in what I know.