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When You're Not the Leader

 

As someone that started his career 20 years ago, I had to learn how to be a follower before I could be the leader. In doing so, I had to take orders, follow directions and learn to respond in a way that provided my leaders constructive feedback, otherwise it would appear like I was whining. I got better at being a follower and started learning leadership skills so that one day I could transition to be a leader.

A lot of times not only was I still the follower, but due to the poor or nonexistent leadership, I had to step in and be a leader. On the micro level, a follower can go beyond the formal title and position and participate in the leadership processes. The Harvard Management Update (2009) gives us five ways in which we can do this by establishing goals, thinking systematically, learn from experience while it’s happening, engage others and provide feedback (p. 1). A particular time I’ve been a leader as a follower was when I was working as a robotics manager and my regional maintenance manager was too busy with other priorities. He was also not very good at juggling his responsibilities, which caused a lot of problems with the rest of the staff. Because of this, I stepped up and filled in using some of the examples the Harvard Management Update listed. I clearly set the short-term goals for the team, which was simply to get through each day, one at a time. I was systematic in my thinking as I gathered the data for the problems the team was facing, laid them out for all of us to find the root cause of the problem and implement solutions. In doing so, I engaged the team in every step of our problem-solving so that they would learn from these experiences and do better the next time. It’s important to point out that I was doing this as the problems were occurring so that we all learned from the experience together AND as it was happening in real-time. Lastly, it was really all about the feedback. Because the regional manager was not available, I was the one giving positive and reaffirming feedback to the group so that they knew they were doing a great job.  

Using adaptive leadership can feel like we’re operating in the unknown. We may be thrust into different roles at a moments notice, especially when organizations are floundering through change. Organizational development is no longer an exact science—if ever it was (Cannell, & Seminary, 2011, p. 26). There are so many options and theories now that it can seem like a never-ending cycle. The old way of leading by command, control, direction and charisma through superior knowledge and personality does not really stack up any more, as increasingly better educated followers know faster than leaders what is happening and often what needs to be done (Obolensky, 2010, p. 18). The actions we take should be reflective, like getting onto the balcony to see everything in its whole state. We need to know who the players are, especially in a situation that involves politics. By being open to feedback from anyone, not just the top leaders of an organization, will help further develop the people and team and define the common pathways that remove resistance from workers tasks. For me, it will always be about helping people or the team. To do that more efficiently and create an impact, I will be positive, welcoming and embrace the challenges that we all face, together.

References

Cannell, L., & Seminary, N. P. T. (2011). Adaptive leadership: Planning in a time of transition. Theological Education, 46(2), 25-45.

How to Lead When You’re Not the Boss. (2009). Harvard Management Update, 14(3), 1-2.

Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty. Burlington, Vt: Gower Pub. Limited.

 

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