Follow the Leader - Robert A. Sevier

This outstanding 1999 article (White Paper - Stamats Communications, Inc.) is worth reading just for the opening story. A university president resigned and the consensus in the all campus meeting the next day was that what the campus needed was leadership. After much conversation, the current faculty president exploded, "Leadership? You don't want leadership. None of you want to work with a leader. You don't care about anything but yourselves. No leader in their right mind would come to this campus. You assassinate your leaders. You sue them. You stall and pretend you're discussing. You are not really interested in leadership because none of you are interested in following." When the president was done, he walked out of the room. The response was quick, "What does he know? He's no leader."

What a beautiful illustration of the problem! And what a beautiful illustration of what takes place in churches especially! I have a hard time imagining any pastor who wouldn't chuckle bitterly at their own experience of this story. This is the constant struggle organizations face. Our culture has raised both hero worship and hero assassination to an artform! While we have built an entire cottage industry around leadership development (and destruction) - it never seems to occur to us that perhaps followers have some responsibilities to consider also.

After another great story of "reluctant followers," Dr. Sevier posits another followership continuum based perspective on followership. While Sevier's descriptions of followers are often darker, interestingly, he begins his continuum with the best followers first...

1. Exceptional followers
2. Active-passive followers
3. Alienated followers
4. Reluctant-resistive followers
5. Saboteurs

I like this continuum. I especially like the fact that it is very hard on followers, openly admitting some of them are flagrantly destructive in the organization.

Sevier also echoes concerns that "it is dangerous to think of leaders and followers as separate entities." We must instead focus on the interaction, somewhat analogous to a marriage relationship.

In working with college leaders, several qualities and characteristics of exceptional followers emerge:

1. High self-esteem
2. Intelligence
3. Enthusiasm
4. Strong communication skills
5. Initiative
6. Energy
7. Courage
8. Political astuteness

It is also interesting to note the two qualities most often listed by leaders: cooperation and loyalty.

An interesting observation made by Sevier was that none of the executives he worked with even mentioned technical skills as effective follower characteristics. Leaders did not value acquired skills nearly as much as personal qualities.

Leaders spoke of four follower responsibilities:

1. Support the leader's decisions
2. Challenge the leader
3. Encourage the leader
4. Defend the leader

Sevier suggests nine ways for leaders to cultivate exceptional followers:

1. Identify people in the organization who have demonstrated skills and work to increase the variety and complexity of assignments they receive.
2. Never undermine their authority.
3. Acknowledge their value both publicly and privately.
4. Share the credit.
5. Mentor followers who hope to assume larger leadership roles.
6. Encourage and enhance dialogue
7. Heighten their sense of accountability for the decisions they make.
8. Keep their confidences
9. Empower them.

Sevier quotes Robert Kriegel, writing in Sacred Cows Make The Best Burgers, who asked followers what inspires them at work. They responded with the following five comments:

1. To be part of something great
2. To do something I have never done before
3. To do something I didn't think I could
4. To do something meaningful for people, the community, the world, the environment
5. To learn something new and interesting.

This was a very useful article.