I’ve written previously about Ira Chaleff’s book The Courageous Follower. The first and most important courage to develop as a follower is to look inward and assume responsibility for yourself. That continuous inward journey is the foundation for right relationship between followers and leaders. After looking inward, the courageous follower can look outward, first to serve the purposeful leader, then if necessary to challenge the leader who has strayed from the shared purpose.
Part of our responsibility to leaders that have wandered off purpose is not just to challenge them, but to then help them get their behavior back on track. In my opinion this is the most difficult courage that Chaleff proposes because it involves a radical paradigm shift.
We accept as entirely reasonable the notion that is a leader’s responsibility to first confront and then help a follower transform inappropriate behavior. But we have a very hard time with the notion that in right relationship, it is just as much the follower’s responsibility to help the leader transform.
It will take more than a request to change deeply ingrained behaviors, especially with an arrogant leader that has created a culture of personality instead of a culture of purpose and performance. And we will have to confront the reality that by our own behavior, we have probably helped approve and shape the behavior in the leader we now hope to change.
Here are three things Chaleff says about the courage to participate in transformation that I find particularly relevant:
- The paradox of transformation is that we probably have to change ourselves first. In the end, our role in the relationship is the only one we have the full power to change
- The single most important act a courageous follower can take as a catalyst for change is to convey the intensity of our concern about the leader’s behavior. We must first admit to ourselves how serious the situation is in order to have any hope of helping our leader acknowledge the need for change.
- We must forgive our leaders for who they were and what they did to us out of respect for their courage to try to change.
Let’s be honest – transformation is risky, messy, and can easily fail. We could end up even more exposed and vulnerable than when we started. Change is hell.
Yet even if our efforts fail, we will have taken our courage to the edge of chaos. I believe this is requisite to our development as true partners.
We will lead entirely differently when the formal position eventually catches up to our skill.
You should follow me on twitter here.
You are quite correct, leaders need to change first and remain an inspiration while the followers put the leaders on their toes to remain focused
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Yinka, I appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment. Leaders and followers both need to change, and to help each other in the process. Responsibility in the relationship is reciprocal. Thanks!! Bret
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This is a real “courage” post, Bret. If you’re responsible for the performance of a group, part of your job is to confront team members about performance and behavior issues that affect either team performance or relationships. And it’s going to be better for everyone if you lead the creation of a culture of candor and caring.
But if you’re a team member, giving un-requested or un-desired feedback can be very risky indeed in most organizations. In my experience there are truth-tellers in most organizations, but they rarely rise to the top of the org chart. In some cases, that’s because they tell the truth without much social grace or emotional intelligence. In others it’s because a truth the boss doesn’t want to hear is a dangerous truth to share.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Wally, I love that idea of a culture of candor and caring. Agree with you that truth tellers rarely rise to the top – the top is permeated with yes people that know how to play the game and reward those that do the same. And what has that gotten us?
The truth is dangerous to share when the boss does not want to hear it, and when the boss does not want to hear it the issue will usually be about the *style* the follower used to communicate it. If the boss can label the follower as lacking grace, emotional intel, respect – whatever – then the focus can shift to the bad follower and away from the real issue at hand. It’s a power thing. Thanks, Wally!!! Bret
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[...] The Courage to Participate in Transformation as a Leader The Stepford Organization My Advice to New MBA Students [...]
“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”
- Mom
Mom was so right.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Mary Jo, I wish it were not so! One of my main messages when I talk about diversity is we all communicate differently, so get past the style and get to the substance. Thanks! Bret
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Bret, regarding your conversation with Wally, would your advice to a courageous follower be any different during economic times like we face today vs times of strong economic growth?
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
GREAT question, Kevin. I clearly understand the point your question implies.
But my answer is NO, my advice would not change.
If you are going to operate on principles, you have to stick to those principles even when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and risky. If you can’t do that then you have no business adopting a principle. We see a lot of leaders and businesses in trouble because when economic times were GOOD they were not guided by principles. In GOOD times followers did not call leaders on bad behavior, and we are all paying for it now.
Second, in tough economic times there is NO slack, no margin for error. Hard times call for courage more than ever. If a process is broken, don’t ignore it – help fix it. If a leader’s behavior is hurting people and creating an unproductive environment, don’t cower – confront it.
Everyone needs to be assuming full responsibility, especially when times are tough.
Hope that helps. Thanks!! Bret
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Bret, I appreciate the response and I agree that principles are most important during difficult times. Adopting principles and acting courageously when faced with adversity will help to establish a strong character; an asset even more valuable during difficult times.
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I concur, Kevin. thanks! Bret
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Bret, I love the post and the challenging topic. I’ve added The Courageous Follower to my reading list, in part because my gut reaction is slightly south of agreement. I suspect that too many years working in the halls and meeting rooms of a number of companies and observing some fascinating characters has me slightly jaded on the team’s ability to change the behavior, style, or approach of a lousy leader. (I have absolutely observed a team and key individuals help improve a well-intentioned leader.)
When writing Practical Lessons in Leadership, my co-author and I debated this point fiercely and ended with a “yeah, it’s possible, but… .” The “but” was that we could not come up with a single example in our 45 years of combined experience where a material change had taken place in a leader that fit the “arrogant” or as I describe it, “lousy leader” model. I absolutely acknowledge that it can happen, I just haven’t witnessed it yet.
Awesome post and thanks for challenging my slightly cynical thinking on this topic. I’m looking forward to reading the book and finding some renewal! Best, Art
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Art I really appreciate this comment! I too have witnessed a lousy or arrogant leader radically changing behavior as a result of being challenged very rarely.
But I can tell you that trying to practice this has changed ME, and it is my behavior and my leadership that I am responsible for. And because it has changed me, it affects how I develop other leaders.
So while the direct effects are rare, I would tell you that the indirect effects of trying to practice courageous followership are larger than I can measure.
The main reason you practice courageous followership is to prepare yourself to practice courageous leadership and to appreciate and develop a new cadre of courageous followers that benefit from your experience and can do it more effectively than you did. I truly believe that only those that have challenged can fully accept the value of being challenged as a leader.
Thanks, Art!! Bret
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