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Front 1

The Alienated Follower

Back 1

You continue to think independently and critically, but you are not very active in carrying out the role. You find yourself disengaging at times. Most alienated followers began as exemplary ones. Somehow, sometime, something turned them off, resulting in withdrawal. They see themselves as victims who unfairly got the short end of the stick.

Front 2

The Comformist

Back 2

Positive attributes are - accepts assignments easily and gladly does the work, team player, trusts and commits self to the leader or organization, minimizes conflicts, and is nonthreatening to leader. Receives feedback that you are also lacking your own ideas, obsequious and self-deprecating, unwilling to take an unpopular position and stick to it, averse to conflict, even at the risk of going over the cliff with the group, and compromises your or your family’s needs and ideas to please the organization. “Yes” people.

Front 3

THe Pragmatist

Back 3

Pragmatists hug the middle of the road. They question their leader’s decisions, but not too often or too critically. They perform their required tasks, but seldom venture beyond them. This style is as much influenced by the leader and the organization as by personality. Often it is a coping response to an unstable situation, either organizationally or politically.

Front 4

The Passive follower

Back 4

Passive followers are the exact opposite of exemplary followers. At the extreme, they look to the leader to do their thinking, and not carry out their assignments with enthusiasm. Lacking initiative and a sense of responsibility, they require constant direction when performing the tasks given them and never venture beyond their assignment. Also described as lazy, incompetent, unmotivated, or downright stupid. Many passive followers are simply people who haven’t developed their followership skills. So they basically do nothing. They don’t like being in the follower role. When they find themselves in it, they shut down, expending as little thought or effort as possible.

Front 5

The Exemplerary Follower

Back 5

Exemplary followers are different from other followers in that they perform well on both the underlying dimensions of followership. On the one hand, they exercise independent, critical thinking, separate from the leader or the group. On the other hand, they are actively engaged, applying their talents for the benefit of the organization even when confronted with bureaucratic inanities or nonproducing co-workers. Exemplary followers put their talents, including their brainpower, to work for the organization and its leaders—sometimes complementing the leader’s efforts and other times relieving the leader of many tasks.

Front 6

Alienated -> Exemplary

Back 6

Your problem is overcoming your negativity and becoming actively engaged once again. You must find something positive that engages you, something that pulls your energy back into the followership role. To the extent you harness your talents toward a future you and the leader want to make happen, rather than focusing your energy against the leader, you are on the road to exemplary followership again.

Front 7

Conformist -> Exemplary

Back 7

You are already seen as a committed contributor, you need to cultivate independent, critical thinking and develop the courage to exercise it. This involves gaining confidence in your own views and realizing that the organization needs your views. Begin evaluating others’ ideas, start generating your own ideas, and confront your fear of conflict and need for structure. Some people will not be able to resolve these emotional issues without professional help.

Front 8

Pragmatism -> Exemplary

Back 8

Once pragmatists find a purpose, they must also build up the trust and credibility that overcome the negative perceptions that people hold about them. One approach is to help other people achieve their goals, rather than always looking out for number one first. Do not forget that your considerable talent at working the system can be a real plus when used for more than your individual self-interest.

Front 9

Passive -> Exemplary

Back 9

Requires learning the range of followership skills. It means understanding that following is neither a mindless, passive activity nor a spectator sport. To do it well means investing and involving yourself.

Front 10

Identify Exemplary Followership Traits

Back 10

· Job Skills—how exemplary followers add value with their:
- Focus and commitment
- Competence in critical path activities
- Initiative in increasing their value to the organization
· Organizational Skills—how exemplary followers nurture and leverage a web of organizational relationships with:
- Team members
- Organizational networks
- Leaders
· Values Component—how exemplary followers exercise a courageous conscience which guides their job activities and organizational relationships.

Front 11

Techniques of Proper Dissent
Establishing Preconditions (6)

Back 11

1. Trust – Probably the most important precondition you must establish is your boss’ trust in you. As a subordinate, you must create and nurture it. There are a number of ways to do this.
a. Expertise. Master the job.
b. Image. Look and act the part of a trusted agent.
c. Association. The boss’ perception of your associations impacts his or her receptiveness to your ideas.
d. Goals. Your goals communicate a lot about you.
e. Loyalty. Keep the boss informed.
f. Dealing with Your Feedback. Your behavior sets an example for those up as well as down the chain of command.
2. Determine Importance – There are many issues which compel a junior officer to present a dissenting view, but it is the wise officer who can set priorities on these issues.
3. Differentiate Between Wrong and Different – Just because your idea is right does not mean another is wrong.
4. Know the Dissent Channel – There are a number of established and widely used channels for dissent in the Air Force. Become familiar with them so you can use the one most appropriate for your situation.
5. Timing – The saying “don’t change horses in midstream” is vital to the discussion of military dissent.
6. Know the Law – Naturally, you cannot determine if your instructions are illegal if you don’t know the law.

Front 12

Techniques of Proper Dissent
Delivery (7)

Back 12

1. Control Your Emotions – Don’t try to plead your case or demand action. If you present your challenge on an adult level (rather than the demanding parent or pleading child levels), your ideas have a better chance of receiving this desired consideration.
2. Recognize Idiosyncrasies – Even the most professional environment has personal idiosyncrasies and organizational sacred cows. You must be sensitive to things like pride of authorship, unwritten rules, and personality conflicts.
3. Use the Chain of Command – Work your dissent within the chain--always. As a junior officer you do not have the credentials to go outside the chain.
4. Written Dissent – Often the best way to present your disagreement with the status quo. It has many advantages--a reader is less defense, can pick the time and place to read your dissent, relieves pressure to immediately react and is free to reconsider an initial negative reaction before rendering a final judgment. When you write your dissent you will usually present your most complete and organized thoughts.
5. Support – Support your challenge. Your ultimate goal is for the audience adopting your idea as theirs. Support will help you lead them there.
6. Provide a Solution – Whenever you challenge the status quo, present a solution. Your solution can be more important than your explanation of the problem.
7. Be Prepared for Rejection – If your challenge is rejected, you have two choices: continue your battle another way or quit.

Front 13

Actions leaders take to help Exemplary Followers flourish (5)

Back 13

1. Top Cover – To help promote this technique the leader can take several actions. First action is to remove roadblocks to a follower’s productivity. Another action is to leave the followers alone. Besides removing productivity roadblocks, leaders can encourage self-management in followers. Another example of self-management relates to problem solving. People closest to the problem are given responsibility to solve it.
2. Maintain Vision – Leaders are in a position to see the big picture--to let followers know their individual work has a bearing on the other’s. A leader can create and broker networks. It provides the means by which these talented people can put their heads together and come up with significant products or progress.
3. Team Build – Leaders can create followers forming into a team. They add value by using their interpersonal skills to get a team off the ground. They can review that training encompasses the entire team not just certain individuals.
4. Motivate – Leaders must ensure the team is responsible to resolve their conflict., give credit for success where it is due and make sure the entire office shares the limelight.
5. Set Standards of Performance – The best leaders build followership into the fabric of the organizational structure and culture by
· Orientation programs that stress the importance of exemplary followership
· Training programs that teach and hone the skills of exemplary followers
· Performance evaluation systems that rate how the individual carries out the followership role
· Reward systems that underscore the importance of exemplary followership
· Rotational programs whereby people move back and forth between followership and leadership roles
· Role modeling wherein the leader assumes the followership role and demonstrates exemplary followership skills
· Leadership activities that specifically encourage exemplary followership, such as team-building, removing roadblocks to a follower’s productivity, or being a synergy catalyst.