While not all great followers will become great leaders, a strong foundation as a follower is beneficial for effective leadership.

A Question Of Foundation

Have you ever found yourself as a child on the playground while all the peers around you argued that they, specifically, were the one ‘in charge’? Maybe you were one of those self-appointed leaders, growing frustrated at how none of the others understood you were the one. And maybe now, the whole game of ‘pick a leader’ sounds exhausting because children can be apt to pick themselves and forget the way a leader leads nothing if they aren’t outnumbered by their team. 

Children’s self appointed leadership doesn’t look precisely like leaders in a professional context. And being a follower isn’t as repugnant an idea as it might be on the playground. In fact, many people are followers, or ‘teammates’ in a group. It could be a school group project. It might be a career. There’s no group without more than one member. Most leaders must have been a follower at one point in their life. The question is: are they a good leader, and were they a good follower? 

Some say great followers become great leaders. But while there’s truth to the statement, there’s also a more complex conversation to be had. Join CLCI Live as Join CLCI Live as  Jen Long (PCC), Anthony Lopez (MCPC), Brooke Adair Walters (ACC), Jerome LeDuff (MCLC), and Lisa Finck (MCC) highlight the reciprocal role of leaders and followers and discuss what qualities of which roles a coach should be ready to use. 

Not all great followers want to lead, or go on to become great leaders. But effective leaders benefit significantly from having a strong foundation as a great follower previously. Why is that? Let’s discuss what defines one role from the other and then get back to that question. 

Leaders vs Followers

Followers outnumber leaders on a team by nature. They’re the ones contributing to the success of the group. So what does the leader do? They can provide direction and vision. They might be the final say-so in decisions for the group. Leaders have separate responsibilities. They work on organization and manage who their team is and what they do. 

But good leaders shouldn’t micromanage and good teams don’t need such a high level of management. The most effective followers have good active listening and self-management skills. In summary, a good leader is someone who takes responsibility, makes decisions, and cares for the success of others.

What about having vision? If the leader is the one deciding the direction a group must go, should followers have no vision of their own? Or no opinions about the direction their leader has provided? Actually, efficient teams consist of followers who believe in the vision they are working towards. Commitment is an essential quality for a team, on the leader and follower level. But commitment and belief isn’t the same as blind obedience. Followers shouldn’t blindly obey. Part of being a member of a team is supporting a leader or a cause, but having initiative on what they want to and will follow. Leaders and followers share an important job together: active contribution.

Complementing Positions

Initiative is an ability to judge what needs to be done. Sometimes, it means having the power to take action and do what you’ve judged needs to be done. It can also involve pitching ideas and sharing thoughts.

Some of the best followers are those that share their input, take initiative, and, just like leaders, have a personal stake in the outcome. That could be financial, emotional, or based on time and energy invested. They don’t just believe in their leader blindly: they believe in themselves and their own capabilities. By sharing all of these motivations and qualities, leaders and followers can expect each other to get things done and discuss disagreements or concerns respectfully. The team’s vision is important to the one who’s leading and those who are supporting the journey to success.

A Reciprocal Relationship

Effective leadership involves a reciprocal relationship where leaders and followers respect and support each other. Mutual trust is key for both roles.

Whichever side of the leader-follower relationship someone is on at a given time, understanding the symbiotic nature of great teams and valuing and respecting one another for their roles makes a huge difference.

Successful teams thrive when members support one another instead of competing with each other.

Great leaders put their team first and understand that achieving their vision will require the efforts of the group, not just their own hopes. Great followers put the team first and understand that their success is tied to the team's success. Both value and appreciate that their different roles are necessary to teamwork working.

A reciprocal leader-follower relationship fosters a supportive and collaborative environment. Respect between a leader and their followers, a follower and their leader, and a follower and a follower, is the crucial foundation for a healthy dynamic and for ethical leadership. And collaboration is often crucial for substantial success.

Coaches: Leaders or Followers?

So, is a coach the leader or follower of the coach-client session? Trick question! Coaches actually require both follower and leadership skills, and they will be using both as needed. 

ICF-aligned sessions are client led. But coaches are attuned to the energy of the coaching space and guide it even while following the client’s lead. Like a leader, coaches need to have personal responsibility and understand the conduct and ethics expected of them. They don’t give directions for the client to follow, but they should genuinely care about the success of their client and support them as they discover their own path to reaching their goals. Like a follower, coaches support without blindly agreeing to every plan said or action taken. They question and challenge clients to encourage deeper reflection. 

Coaches can share qualities of leaders and followers. What about leaders and followers themselves? Let’s get back to that question we started with.

The Symbiotic Relationship and What It Means For Switching Roles

So why does having a past foundation as a great follower benefit strong leaders? It might just be because they understand group dynamics and what good environments for teamwork look like, from experience. It might also be because leaders and followers aren’t that starkly different: the symbiotic relationship in a group works because of shared commitment to success, personal stake and management, and more, with mutual trust as the core shared between members of a team. 

In that sense, the important qualities are already shared. All a follower changes to become a leader is having a vision for a team to aim for, and responsibility over managing more than just their own needs and success.

Thank you,

Jen Long (PCC), Anthony Lopez (MCPC), Brooke Adair Walters (ACC), Jerome LeDuff (MCLC), and Lisa Finck (MCC)

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