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Leadership Philosophy

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The New Thinking on Followership and Leadership Philosophy

The New Thinking on Followership and Leadership Philosophy

Is good followership more important than good leadership? Followership is defined as the ability or willingness to follow a leader. Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes. Effective followers can develop productive leader behavior just as effective leaders shape people into good followers. The new thinking on followership and leadership philosophy is very important

In my opinion, good followers are just as important as the leader. According to Daft, “without followers, there are no leaders.” (Daft, 2010, pg. 196) People are followers more often than leaders, and effective leaders and followers share similar characteristics. An effective follower is both independent and active in the organization. To be an effective follower, one must not be alienated, conforming, passive, or pragmatic. Most people think of followers as ‘yes-men’ but this is far from the truth. A good leader would not be considered a good or effective leader if his or her followers always agreed with whatever the leader said. Roger Adair states, “A follower shares in an influence relationship among leaders and other followers with the intent to support leaders who reflect their mutual purpose.”

There are five levels of rationale that followers can use when deciding to follow a leader that may begin negative and become more positive.

1. Fear of Retribution

2. Blind Hope

3. Faith in Leader

4. Intellectual Agreement

5. Buying the Vision.

The fear of retribution is not a tool of an effective leader and gains weak commitment and will typically lose the follower. Blind

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