Reading 1 - Why Great Followers Make the Best Leaders



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  This article is made available with compliments of Discovery Learning Further posting, copying ordistributing is copyright infringement To order more copies go to wwwhbrorg or call 800-988-0886 3 Copyright© 2006 by Harvard Business School Publishing CorporationAll rights reserved W e are all followers Whilewe may prefer to focus onour roles as leaderswithin our organizations, almost allof us have a role in “following” some-one else as well The irony is thatwhen we lose sight of this, we dimin-ish our leadership effectiveness Why? Simply put, the qualities of great followers share much in com-mon with those of great leadersWith that in mind, it’s never a badidea to brush up on your followershipskills, no matter where on the orgchart you sit Here’s what to do: 1Be honest But be sure you do it in a way thatdoesn’t embarrass or blame Con-sider when to share your opinion inpublic and when to share it in privateTelling the truth in a manner thatdoes not result in a loss of credibility for your boss is likely to increase yourinfluence 2Be supportive Your job is to make your boss andyour organization more successful If your boss has missed somethingimportant, you should bring it to hisattention or take care of it yourself—and do so discreetly  , as stated aboveWhen you take the initiative to besupportive, you win your boss’s trustand boost your chances of gainingaccess to his inner circle This, in turn,makes you more visible and more valuable, and positions you for greaterleadership responsibilities yourself 3Be reliable When people can count on you, youbecome an asset to them, the organi-zation, and to yourself—especially when it comes to handling dutiesoutside the confines of your jobdescription Doing what needs to bedone instead of avoiding or ignoringit because it’s not your responsibility shows you understand and work toward the bigger picture—a key characteristic of effective leaders 4Always seek the big picture Working with the big picture firmly in focus not only will help others seeyou as a leader, but it will also helpyou be a better follower When theboss’s actions or decisions appearunreasonable or inappropriate,remember that you may see only partof the picture that she sees Instead of assuming your boss is wrong, seek information that will help you puther actions into context The betteryou understand the big picture, thebetter advocate you can be for thethings that are important to you 5Ask good questions When you ask constructive ques-tions, you’re helping your boss slow down and reflect on decisions Thekey here is to frame your questionsthoughtfully If you make it clear thatyou are not questioning your boss’scapabilities to make good decisionsbut, rather, your aim is to help himobtain the best possible outcome,your efforts will be appreciated andrewardedBy employing this competency asa follower, you are acting as a leaderYou are modeling for colleagues anddirect reports one of the most effec-tive tools available to any leader: theability to ask good questions 6Be aware ofyour ownassumptions Being aware of how your ownassumptions affect every situation isone of the most important traits of good followers and influential lead-ers Instead of assuming you under-stand your boss’s motives, ask Youmay find you are mistaken and learnsomething significant in the processAchieving awareness of your ownassumptions or mental models can giveyou more personal power (and satis-faction) than any combination of theother traits discussed in this article  Chris Musselwhiteis the author of Dangerous Opportunity: Making ChangeWork  (Xlibris Corp, 2004) and the CEO and  founder of Discovery Learning Inc, based inGreensboro, NC He can be reached at  MUOpinionhbspharvardedu Essentials  Why Great Followers Make the Best Leaders by Chris Musselwhite The better youunderstand the bigpicture,the betteradvocate you can befor the things thatareimportantto you