What makes a good follower? Let’s start with what a good follower is not: someone who follows with blind obedience or the “herd mentality.” On the contrary, a good follower embraces responsibility, works to maintain trust at all levels, and never forgets their true convictions. Learning to serve and follow builds humility and empathy—two traits that will translate directly into superb leadership. A good follower also understands these qualities:
Knows Their Job. One needs to be technically proficient and directly engaged in their area of responsibility.
Knows Their Leader’s Vector. This allows them to anticipate the leaders’ needs and to generate solutions. Doing so keeps their leader on the path of their boss, or clients, helping them be successful, which in turn can spell success for the follower.
Knows How to be a Good Listener. The follower anticipates the needs of their leader by paying attention through active listening. They don’t wait to be told to do everything.
Maintains Honesty and High Integrity. The follower stays true to their convictions and never allows their leader, or peers, to doubt their moral compass.
Maintains Respect and Loyalty. A good follower thinks critically and respectfully lets their leader know when they disagree on an issue. This point is different in every situation, but the astute follower knows how far they can push a disagreement without being disrespectful or being disloyal.
Never Lets Their Leader Make a Mistake. The good follower doesn’t let their leader make a mistake because they’re reluctant to make a tough call on an issue or because they aren’t willing to do the homework to prevent the misstep.
Never Surprises Their Leader. There are enough unknowns in life, so the good follower doesn’t add to it by surprising their leader with issues, good or bad. Doing so can lead to mistrust, eventually leading to a loss of confidence.
Followership, at the core, is about developing discipline and the mastering the ability to deliver the goods under direction. It’s also about learning about leadership – from the ground up. Once you understand these fundamentals, not only will you excel as a member of any work team or company, you’ll also be well on your way to becoming an exceptional leader.
"Followership, like leadership, is a role and not a destination." Michael McKinney
Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP is a leader, civil engineer, and author. He’s an accomplished professional specializing in A/E/C work internationally and author of The Engineer Leader, a recognized blog on leadership and life success for engineers and professionals.