Followers and Leadership Essay Example

There are many kinds of leaders and followers, however, both sides need to understand each other and their duty’s. Followership and Servant leadership are both very important key points in any organization. They are the foundation to not only being an outstanding leader, but also an outstanding follower. There is a time and a place for being either of these, but one cannot be successful without each other. Followership is the ability the follow orders and fully understand the mission at hand. They give recommendations to their leaders and know how to act without orders to continue the mission. Servant leadership is the ability to listen and put their follower’s needs above their own. Servant leaders help their subordinates develop professionally and trust their judgment to accomplish any mission without having to constantly check up on them. Followership and Servant leadership have many similarities and differences, but each of these is critical and will help both sides be successful.

To begin, there are many similarities between these two styles. Both followership and servant leadership share a common goal, which is to complete the mission and come together to be successful. They both respect each other and followers respect the authority and the rank behind that. The leaders respect their followers and do not undermine their contribution to the mission. Moreover, some similar aspects are the commitment they both have for each other and the task at hand. They both show respect for each other and servant leaders respect their follower’s opinions, while followers respect their leader’s intent and position. Followership and servant leadership have patience and know that neither side is perfect by showing forgiveness and humility. They use honesty at all times to keep them accountable in all situations and they listen to every suggestion and adapt to each other’s ideas. It takes time to understand the characteristics of both styles, but once learned, these will come hand in hand to become an effective leader and follower. 

Furthermore, while there are not many differences, there are a few that are notable. Being a leader instills more responsibility that your followers do not have nor do they always see the bigger picture. While being a follower, you act more and see more at the lower level than your leader, even if they do help in every way. This can cause some conflict between each side since they are forgetting to see the other side of the picture. Servant leaders focus more on the well-being of their soldiers and take the extra time to make sure they are getting the proper development in their career and their personal goals. Followers focus more on the task at hand and their commitment to their leader and their mission is always a priority.

Leaders and followers come in many forms they go hand and hand, without them both you cannot have a successful team. As Robert E. Kelley stated, “Leadership and followership are two sides of the same coin.” (Corrothers, 2009). Both sides should understand each other, as they share a common goal. Without these attributes, no team will succeed.