It has always been thought that followers are associated as sheep, mindlessly being herded around by the leader. The ingrained thought has brought on a trend of leadership workshops and classes taught from people in school up to their working years.
However, recent studies have shown that when it comes to an organisation, both leaders and followers play an equally important role in order to grow as a company.
Here are a few ways that show the mutual bond between leaders and followers within an organisation.
When one is effective, the other becomes productive
When a leader effectively delegates and manages the amount of work prepared, the team can carry them out in a productive way. Similarly, when a team is effectively managing the work assigned to them and perform well, this provides a chance for the leaders to also be productive in doing the work cut out for them.
The key takeaway here is that nobody slacks off in their jobs. Both ends need to perform their tasks and manage their responsibilities well in order for the other to shine equally.
Without one, there is no other
Every role has a set of responsibilities entrusted with it. Similarly, if leaders are entrusted with managing processes and executing them effectively, they need followers to help them carry out the labour required to manage the processes and to execute them.
Let’s say an organisation has only five leaders, directors for example, then there will still be a leader between the five directors to assign the right tasks to achieve the organisation’s goals. If all the directors are bossing around, then no work might get done properly as the saying goes - too many cooks spoil the broth. If an organisation only has five employees, then there is no way to manage the tasks unless one of the five ‘followers’ step up as the leader and facilitate the group.
Every leader was a once a follower
No leader starts off as one straight away. Every leader has experienced being part of a team in which their dedication to execute a certain task has made them stand out compared to the rest. Nevertheless, that does not mean that he or she can accomplish all work processes.
Every individual, regardless of being a leader or a follower, has his or her own unique way of performing a certain task and solving arising problems. Everyone can become a leader for a particular task or job when they are willing to be one and prepared to be responsible for the job.
Leaders and followers influence each other
Let’s face it - leaders and followers in an organisation influence each other on a mutual basis. Whether through their actions or behaviour, leaders and followers alike will influence each other positively if they practice good work ethics. Similarly, the same will happen if any of the two practice negative work habits - the other will also be influenced negatively.
In an organisation, it is crucial to ingrain the value of accountability within the whole team. Not only does it promote better cooperation and teamwork, it also heightens both the leaders’ and followers’ sense of responsibility for the work being produced. When both leaders and followers positively influence each other, it is more likely that the work being produced will also be in better quality than if they were negatively impacting each other.
Leaders and followers must be similar in a way
Leaders and followers come hand in hand when it comes to an organisation. In order to be able to cooperate better as a team, it is ideal for the leaders and followers to share something similar in their characteristics. Characteristics here aren't limited to fashion sense or favourite choice of songs, but rather qualities like sharing a common belief in the organisation’s goals.
In the Avengers’ Endgame movie, the superheroes transcending different realities within the Marvel Universe united because they had a common purpose: to defeat Thanos. Although organisations don’t have any towering, purple supervillain to defeat, the leaders and followers must share some common goals in order to stay united and work towards the organisation’s vision and missions.
In short, leaders and followers are both indispensable within an organisation. They both come with their own sets of responsibilities that must be accomplished in order for the individuals and the organisation to grow. Perhaps the next time we hear someone downplay one or the other, let’s remind them that both roles are equally important for an organisation to exist.
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