Followership In A System By Ray Jorgensen, Ph.d

Followership in a System by Ray Jorgensen, Ph.D Try suggesting to someone—anyone in any position in business, education, government or any other segment of society—that “leadership” is not important, and brace yourself for a barrage of reaction. Everybody knows our companies and departments and organizations are crying for good leadership. But suggest in a loud voice that more people need to learn how to follow, and watch for a very different response. Followers are often equated with “dumb sheep” or “lemmings”—until someone stops to think about where leaders would be without followers or how the quality of followership enhances and even shapes the successful outcome of good leadership. “I never had a boss.” Long ago my dad told me he never had a boss. I asked how that was possible. I’d met people who were introduced as his employer or boss. He said something I’ve kept with me forever: “People don’t choose their bosses; someone simply ordained that person as the boss. True allegiance and commitment comes when an individual chooses to follow a person in a leadership position.” He added: “I’ve had lots of people of all different sizes, shapes and temperaments who claimed to be my boss. Each time a new boss was thrust upon me, I had the power of choice to decide whether or not I chose to follow that man or woman claiming positional power.” One of the expected outcomes of our American education system is economic independence—a job; a regular paycheck; gainful employment. Once an individual accepts employment, the employing organization, through formal or informal orientation, defines the supervisor-employee relationship. Typically, these relationships describe the supervisor as the “boss” over the employees. “Boss” defined by definition, is somebody who is in charge of others, especially in a work environment. Or the boss might be the dominant individual in a relationship or group, the one who tends to make decisions and give instructions. Dominance is something we all understand from our years as children growing up in families where parents played a dominant role. In fact, our conditioning as children and as students in an adult-dominated system worked so well that we might actually feel comfortable when someone demonstrates dominance over us as employees at work. Relationships affect the system But what effect does that type of relationship have on the success of the overall system? Unfortunately, many boss-employee relationships make it difficult for people working in the system to develop their capacity to engage in a committed manner in order to help the system grow strong. Surprisingly, some people in this world refuse to allow someone to be their boss. They find this boss-employee relationship too much like a parent telling the children how to behave. All too often, when leaders attempt to use positional power to establish dominance over employees, working men and women dig in their proverbial heels and refuse to accept the directives, demands or guidance proffered. Boss vs. Leader Compliance and commitment represent the two most common ways an employee can choose to interact within the organization. Bosses demand compliance while leaders enroll people in vision. Which organization suits you?

Some people work their entire careers in a boss-employee relationship and find it satisfying. Others complain, take off early, use sick days rampantly and merely exist in such an environment. The boss-employee dominance does nothing for their commitment to the organization or their ability to embrace a shared vision. The leader-follower relationship, on the other hand, promotes commitment and engagement among the work force. "Leaders rarely use their power wisely or effectively over long periods unless they are supported by followers who have the stature to help them do so." --Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower, 2003. Effective leaders are in search of followers. Simply arriving at work and dusting off the “boss” sign will never get it done, as the Blue Collar Comedy’s Larry the Cable Guy states. Leaders enroll followers by stewarding them in three areas identified by Margaret Wheatley in her book Leadership and the New Science: • Self reference, or how they fit in; • Ongoing, consistent communication—with understanding; and • Relationships development---when leaders keep in mind that relationships are developed through ongoing conversation, providing visionary guidance that helps people understand how they fit in, the chances of developing a committed workforce are greatly enhanced. Leaders are always in search of followers and are best served when they understand that followers must choose their leaders. So, as a leader, do you have followers or people who think you are their boss? Raymond D. Jorgensen, Ph.D. has spent the past 30 years studying organizations and the concept of organizational change theories and parlayed this knowledge into the concept of Conversational Leadership, an insightful, theory-based method of conducting more effective meetings which taps into the collective wisdom of a group and leads to higher quality relationships for higher quality results. Ray consults, facilitates and conducts workshops for organizations on Conversational Leadership, with a proven track record of affecting organizational change. Please visit