Discussion: View Thread

I suggest three types of followers.

Type 1 is focused on an external goal meaningful to them and will follow
anyone who is similarly focused and with a track record of achievement.

Type 2 is focused on an internal (to them) goal, the What's In It For Me
syndrome, and will follow anyone who seems ready to deliver. George
Stephanopoulos' book indicates that he was one of these. They get fooled by
charismatic leaders and con men. Some of them revert from Type 1 at the
wrong time (and die on Mt. Everest).

Type 3 is focused on keeping busy and will follow anyone who has a task
list.

The other 30% just want to be left alone.

>
> Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 06:23:41 -0400
> From: Charles Wankel <wankelc@optonline.net>
> Subject: Re: Leadership vocabulary+++
>
> From: Steven.Henderson@solent.ac.uk
> [mailto:Steven.Henderson@solent.ac.uk]
>
> The more I read what colleagues have written on leadership, the more it
> strikes me that I don't know anything about follower ship. Are there
> hard followers, who are inspired by leaders to achieve great things for
> the organisation? Are there soft followers, who reject leadership that
> cannot justify itself in terms of the good of the organisation, or the
> wider society of which it is a part? Do the range of skills described
> by Erwin depend upon some aspects of followership for their efficacy? Is
> there an equivalent set of followership skills?
>
> Steven Henderson

Thanks for your thoughts on followership. I like your type 1 particularly -
it reminds me of Stafford Beer's remarks about successful followership
(though he didn't call it that) being about manipulating leadership toward
its own goals, by such skills as information management and selective
engagement etc.

I also notice that I mostly end up reporting to people who have been type
two followers, I suspect, since they don't seem to have had any goals other
than becoming a leader. They seem to get lots of followers of type two and
three. Since many of the threes are competent, something like the LMX
model appears to work, although it misses the main points we are thinking
about here I suppose.

Appreciatively

Steven

I applaud this approach. As a longtime self-directed
person, in both my personal and my work life, I have
had many clashes with supervisors/bosses who did not
WANT me to be self-directed. Others less stubborn
than I might have found that to be too much. I
watched some others just decide it's better to just
give in to the supervisor/boss need (seems that way)
to be needed/in control/whatever.

I look forward to reading the latest book, and to
recommending it to students. I have read most of
Charles Handy's work, and used it in teaching
Management to Chinese students.

Edryce

--- Hank Sims <HSims@rhsmith.umd.edu> wrote:

---

size=2>

Colleagues..

One way

to think about "followership" is to think about

so-called followers

as "self-leaders"...

that is, individuals who have capacity and skill to

lead themselves.

My colleague

Charles Manz and other associates have discussed

this

in several articles and books...  Our

fundamental notion is that

an important role

of leaders is to develop the capacity of

followers

to be excellent self-leaders.  I

refer you to Manz & Neck, 

"Mastering

Self-Leadership", or, our recent book (Manz &

Sims) 

"The New SuperLeadership:  Leading

Other to Lead

Themselves"...

and finally,

I do recognize and apologize for the

self-plug...

it;s just that we have been

thinking about "followership" for

years

through the lens of "self-leadership" and I am

unable

to contain

myself...

thanks

Hank Sims , U of

Md.

href="mailto:hsims@rhsmith.umd.edu">hsims@rhsmith.umd.edu

>

Date:    Wed, 10 Apr 2002 06:23:41 -0400> From:

Charles Wankel <wankelc@optonline.net>>

Subject: Re: Leadership vocabulary+++>> From:

Steven.Henderson@solent.ac.uk>

[mailto:Steven.Henderson@solent.ac.uk]>> The

more I read what colleagues have written on

leadership, the more it> strikes me that I don't

know anything about follower ship. Are there> hard

followers, who are inspired by leaders to achieve

great things for> the organisation? Are there soft

followers, who reject leadership that> cannot

justify itself in terms of the good of the

organisation, or the> wider society of which  it is

a part? Do the range of skills described> by Erwin

depend upon some aspects of followership for their

efficacy? Is> there an equivalent set of

followership skills?>> Steven

Henderson

=


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
http://taxes.yahoo.com/

I was greatly offended by Hank Sims ineffectual self-promotion in his
recent posting to the list. Hank if you have one of the best management
books, you should promote it more effectively. For example, I would
have provided the intriguing link at:
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2001/06/21/news4.htm
l

where it is explained:
A superleader "eads others to lead themselves. Superleaders are "super"
because their strength is based on the wisdom and assets of many instead
of one.
And using such wonderful classroom/boardroom example such as the LA
lakers’ coach, why this is a book that every member of Mg-Ed-Dv would
want!
Really Hank! How many Mg-Ed-Dv-ers know that you have what Amazon calls
“Thoroughly revised and updated editon of bestselling SuperLeadership
(more than 100,000 copies sold).”
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576751058/qid=1018873006/sr=8-1/
ref=sr_8_67_1/103-3763349-0211850


Also, this book was reviewed in the Academy of Management Executive:
http://www.aom.pace.edu/ame/past%20issues/november%202001%20cover.htm


More on this book:
http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershop/5105-8.html


Hey, I was intrigued that people who buy your book also buy the April
2002:
First Among Equals: How to Manage a Group of Professionals
by Patrick J. McKenna, David H. Maister
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743225511/qid=1018873211/sr=2-1/
ref=sr_2_1/103-3763349-0211850

(If the link is broken you might have to cut and paste the end of it
into your browser url window to make it work. In any case, don't tell
the list or me about it if you can't make long urls work!)


Also,
Growing Leaders
by Steve Yearout, Gerry Miles, Richard Koonce (Contributor)
American Society for Training & Development; ISBN: 1562862898; (April
26, 2001)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1562862898/qid%3D1018873746/ref%3
Dsr%5F11%5F0%5F1/103-3763349-0211850


Mastering Self Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence
by Charles C. Manz, Christopher P. Neck
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130110876/ref=pd_sim_books/103-3
763349-0211850
Filled with self-assessment questionnaires and developmental exercises.

The Leadership Challenge
by James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner, Tom Peters
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0787902691/ref=pd_sim_books/103-3
763349-0211850
Jossey-Bass; ISBN: 0787902691; 1st edition (November 22, 1996)

Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O., Ph.D. Clifton
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743201140/ref=pd_sim_books/103-3
763349-0211850

Cybercollegially,
Charles Wankel
Mg-Ed-Dv List Director
St. John's University, New York City
wankelc@optonline.net


-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU] On Behalf Of Hank Sims
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 9:31 PM
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: MG-ED-DV - Followership

Colleagues..
One way to think about "followership" is to think about so-called
followers
as "self-leaders"... that is, individuals who have capacity and skill to

lead themselves.
My colleague Charles Manz and other associates have discussed this
in several articles and books... Our fundamental notion is that
an important role of leaders is to develop the capacity of followers
to be excellent self-leaders. I refer you to Manz & Neck,
"Mastering Self-Leadership", or, our recent book (Manz & Sims)
"The New SuperLeadership: Leading Other to Lead Themselves"...
 
and finally, I do recognize and apologize for the self-plug...
it;s just that we have been thinking about "followership" for
years through the lens of "self-leadership" and I am unable
to contain myself...
thanks
Hank Sims , U of Md.
hsims@rhsmith.umd.edu
www.hanksims.com