by JJ and Melissa February 11, 2009
Get the Followership mug.Followership is a straightforward concept. It is the ability to take direction well, to get in line behind a program, to be part of a team and to deliver on what is expected of you. It gets a bit of a bad rap! How well the followers follow is probably just as important to enterprise success as how well the leaders lead.
The label “excellent follower” can be a backhanded compliment. It is not a reputation you necessarily want if you are seeking higher corporate office. There is something of a stigma to followership skills. Pity because the practical reality is one does not reach progressively more responsible leadership positions without demonstrating an ability to follow and function effectively in a group. The fact is that in organizations everybody is both a leader and a follower depending on the circumstances which just adds to the paradox of the followership stigma.
The label “excellent follower” can be a backhanded compliment. It is not a reputation you necessarily want if you are seeking higher corporate office. There is something of a stigma to followership skills. Pity because the practical reality is one does not reach progressively more responsible leadership positions without demonstrating an ability to follow and function effectively in a group. The fact is that in organizations everybody is both a leader and a follower depending on the circumstances which just adds to the paradox of the followership stigma.
Followership may take the backseat to leadership but it matters: it matters a lot! Quite simply, where followership is a failure, not much gets done and/or what does get done is not what was supposed to get done. Followership problems manifest themselves in a poor work ethic, bad morale, distraction from goals, unsatisfied customers, lost opportunities, high costs, product quality issues and weak competitiveness. At the extreme, weak leadership and weak followership are two sides of the same coin and the consequence is always the same: organizational confusion and poor performance.
by ... Zjdbckdnznsjd December 31, 2019
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–noun
1. the position or function of a follower
2. an act or instance of following a strong, charismatic leader
1. the position or function of a follower
2. an act or instance of following a strong, charismatic leader
Ashley and the group demonstrated excellent followship when they accompanied Seth outside, not knowing if he would remain in the frigid cold, or lead them to salvation.
by therichardstill December 13, 2010
Get the followship mug.Reactionary behaviour by leaders of organisations adopting someone else's policies or positions in order to piggyback on its popularity or success.
Politicians are most guilty of this. Similar to me-tooism.
Coined by John Clark on the 7.30 report February 2008.
Politicians are most guilty of this. Similar to me-tooism.
Coined by John Clark on the 7.30 report February 2008.
Man: I can't believe the opposition supports those tax cuts, they're graduating from the followship academy
by Kittridge February 25, 2008
Get the followship mug.Noun. The act of sucking up to someone, brown-nosing. Usually used by public sector management to describe the characteristics required for elevation to a senior level.
by fsi pointless December 14, 2023
Get the Followship mug.Verb; describes the act of blindly following instructions, usually given by those in charge, without thought or consideration. Brown-nosing, creep, sycophant
by fsi pointless January 13, 2024
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