Effective Follower Characteristics

Although it is imperative to be an efficient and cognizant leader within the today’s business world it is also just as important to be an effective “follower." Firstly it is a necessity to define what a follower is in the business setting. The follower is part of the overall team within the company led by the manager or superior in place to achieve a certain goal. Within the role of a follower the worker be diligent and cooperate with the team to accomplish the goal but a successful follower will learn the attributes that create a great leader.
One characteristic of being an effective follower is acquiring the awareness of what motivates one’s peers to achieve their personal best. When working with the team it is a necessity to learn what inspires each individual to work harder and more proficiently to achieve the team’s goal. No universal technique will work to motivate a group as a whole. A manager may use different techniques to motivate such as offering incentives or the “carrot and stick”, as an effective leader it is important to learn which one works best. Working underneath a superior a follower should learn what boosts their team’s morale as well as what destroys it. Effective followers should learn from the predecessors and avoid making the same mistakes. …show more content…
A valuable follower must not be afraid to dissent from the leader’s ideology. A constructive opposition will allow the team’s ideas to grow and stray away from mainstream philosophy. Taking the role of Devil’s advocate the follower can constructively critique the group’s strategy or product while contributing to improving the product/strategy. To be an effective follower one needs to grow to understand when to support the leader’s thoughts and when it is okay to suggest new ones. The ability to communicate ideas eloquently to the leader and team can advance the team’s progress by introducing new strategy and