Fitting Teamwork Into the Grand Scheme of Things - Pat Townsend

This author seeks to understand the dynamics of leadership and followership by placing both of them under the umbrella of "Teamship." He establishes four categories of people with the team; passive followers, active followers, small l leaders and capital L leaders. He sees the whole conversation as a continuum. The middle of the continuum is fluid, but not muddled. In a good team, it is often difficult to determine exactly who the leader is. Townsend also says everyone is, or can be, on several LTF continuums at once; we may serve in one place in one particular setting and entirely another somewhere else. Interestingly, he includes both the Leadership Principles from the US Marine Corps Guidebook and the Followership Principles from the United States Army, Infantry magazine. I won't include the Jarhead leader stuff, but the Army follower list sounds very much like the stuff USAF COL Meilinger was talking about in his article:

1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
2. Be technically and tactically proficient.
3. Comply with orders and initiate appropriate actions in the absence of orders.
4. Develop a sense of responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
5. Make sound and timely decisions or recommendations.
6. Set the example for others.
7. Be familiar with your leader and his/her job, and anticipate his requirements.
8. Keep your leaders informed.
9. Understand the task and ethically accomplish it.
10. Be a team member - but not a yes man.

You know, these Army guys really have something going if you ask me! Townsend suggests this list is a great framework for followership training. I agree. He suggests using it for self-assessment, development planning, mentoring, counseling and leadership studies.

While I don't embrace all the team work and continuum talk, I think the application of these basic followership principles are very valuable. Contrary to the perspective of some, this is not passive sheep and lemming followership. I challenge anyone to read this list and come away with the idea that the Army wants a bunch of sycophant, sissy followers.