A633.7.3.RB – Leader Follower Relationship
After taking the test at the beginning of chapter 10 in the
Obolensky text (2014) I scored highest in strategy 2. This strategy is the “selling” strategy which
consists of high people and high goals. This
strategy is based on the concept that personnel own the solution to the problem
or challenges at hand. The leader in
this idea wants more than just acceptance and compliance from followers. He or she wants those who are on the team to
be a part of the solution and understand the reasons why they are being tasked
to do what they have been tasked with. The
leader needs to ensure the followers know and understand the benefits of the
situation and how to get these benefits match the follower’s needs. This style of leadership requires “buy in”
from followers and not just blind following because they feel they have to due
to authority or need for a job. When working
as a team this approach enables the most cohesive and collaborative efforts to achieve
the goal at hand. This is done by a
questioning approach which asks a series of which work to uncover the
situation. This is followed by questions
which lead to matching the problem then the implications of the problem. This leads the group to work toward solving
the problem which goes to identifying the underlying need and how what is being
sold can meet those needs.
I think after the last six weeks in this course I feel that
if I was placed back in a unit where I was leading large teams or many
personnel my approach toward leading and followers would be different. Even though I am a senior non-commissioned
officer in the military I believe that upward leadership approach has many benefits. First off I have mentioned several times
before that people are entering the military now much more educated than they
were 15 or 20 years ago. So while the military
is a rank based hierarchal system those with lower ranks still have much to
contribute. These lower ranking
personnel can help develop and implement strategy, lead smaller teams of people
in accomplishing goals and tasks and training and motivating others within the
organization. I also think I will
utilize more of an empowering approach with my followers. CEO Ralph Stayer of Johnsonville Sausage took
the empowering approach to new levels within his organization (Stayer, 1990). He took an approach were he actually was
trying to make his job not needed within the organization. He put all of the power in the people’s hands
who worked for them and made them not only feel valued within the organization
but they were key to the success of the company. When there were issues with taste testing he
made those who made the sausage do the taste testing. If concerns rose dealing with training he
created coordinators and coaches. All personnel
within the organization were called members and not employee or subordinate. This might be one of the best examples of an
empowering leader for any company there is.
These changes brought in massive benefits for Johnsonville and this type
of mentality is still practiced in the organization today.
For future goals and objectives in leadership this changing
mentality can only in my mind help my leadership potential. According to Dr. Warren Bennis “Management is
getting people to do what needs to be done.
Leadership is getting people to want to do what needs to be done.”
(Handbook, 2015). I believe as a leader
if you can create this type of atmosphere within your organization there should
not be much that can stand in your way. People
with authority can tell people what to do and for them ost part people will do
it (as long as they want a job). However,
when followers know their leader trust them and has their back and will empower
them to make decisions and complete tasks without fear of losing their job more
should get accomplished. These followers
are the ones who will have the dedication and motivation to accomplish any
mission and no matter what change or situation comes up will meet the challenge
head on. As a leader my goals are to
succeed at whatever task I am charged with.
I think by using this empowering, bottoms up approach to leadership achieving
these goals can be attainable.
The Airman Handbook. (2015). Department of the Air Force
Publication. Retrieved from:
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership Embracing
Paradox and Uncertainty. New
York, NY. Taylor & Francis
Group.
Stayer, R. (1990). How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead.
Harvard Business Review, 68(6),
66-83.
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