Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Compelling ‘Followership’ Inspires the Next Generation of Leaders

‘Followership’ drives shared enthusiasm and excitement for work. It fosters a collaborative culture and supportive working environments that build strong teams which recognize and celebrate peers’ accomplishments.

Looking back on my career, one of my most memorable managers was the kind of person who would jump into the trenches with the team when times were tough and say “thanks for what you do” every time I left his office… and he really meant it!

His support and respect inspired me to express gratitude, encouraged me to communicate freely and earnestly, and helped influence a leadership philosophy that I would carry throughout my career.

Leadership lessons are often rooted in past experiences, memorable mentors and even professional failures. One such epiphanous moment came while I was at an executive retreat in India years ago. Before embarking on this trip, I set an aspirational goal for myself to discover how to be a truly authentic, inspirational leader. This meant borrowing knowledge from my predecessors, re-living both successes and failures, and taking an impartial, introspective view at myself to determine the kind of leader I wanted to be.

I began peeling back the layers and determined that I wanted to be the type of leader that compelled followership within an organization. ‘Followership’ drives shared enthusiasm and excitement for work. It fosters a collaborative culture and supportive working environments that build strong teams which recognize and celebrate peers’ accomplishments.

“‘Followership’ fosters a collaborative culture and supportive working environments that build strong teams which recognize and celebrate peers’ accomplishments.”

Followership, in its simplest form, creates a sense of community within the workplace, and is a guiding force that will stick with future generations of leaders, as it did with me.

Inspiring followership starts with small gestures—acknowledging hard work at all levels, being mindful of the time and effort that people put in, getting to know your employees and peers personally, and staying composed when in high pressure situations. From there, followership blossoms into instilling trust and honesty across all layers of the organization.

When leaders unequivocally trust middle management and front-line staff to drive the company’s initiatives, the whole organization thrives. In addition, transparency, while a no-brainer, requires leaders to take a hard look at themselves and their company from time to time and show a human side to the organization in both good and bad times. Once these building blocks come together, mutual respect, trust and honesty assemble a sense of community and pride within a group.

Compelling followership is rooted in the idea that leadership is not about command and control. Leadership requires those at the helm to empower and embrace everyone across the organization. When I come to work every day, I strive to lead my team by bringing the best of myself to the table and inspiring them to succeed as we follow the same path to the finish line.


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.