CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Including a four star general, all Airmen have a boss. Therefore, Airmen are constantly shifting between leading and following. Depending on a member's current rank and position, they may find themselves mostly leading others, mostly following others or somewhere in between these opposite modes.
Despite our inevitable role of being a subordinate for one or more bosses, followership is a topic that is not often analyzed. I will briefly discuss the importance of followership, go over two defining dimensions of followership and present an example that highlights the behavior of an exemplary follower.
Exemplary followers are the bedrock for any high performing unit. They continually go above and beyond expectations for any type of task. They proactively cover any blind spots. They anticipate future challenges and provide precise recommendations for solving them. They are the go-to Airmen for the no-fail jobs. It is obvious this kind of follower is most desirable for boosting a unit's efficiency and reliability.
As described by retired Lt. Gen. Robert Kelley in an article, entitled "The Power of Followership," the traits of followers fall into two dimensions:
The first dimension of followership is independent critical thinking. Within this dimension, exemplary followers exhibit a high degree of deductive reasoning and foresight, leverage their strengths and minimize their weaknesses, and readily venture outside the box when devising a list of viable solutions. This dimension addresses the desirable cognitive traits of an exemplary follower. The next dimension characterizes the desirable actions of followers.
Active engagement involves the doing versus the thinking. Exemplary followers operating in this dimension jump to action, assume full responsibility and consistently exceed the minimum. They regularly push information to their boss, engage with internal and external customers, build professional relationships and readily go the extra mile to superbly get the job done. Since we now have a common reference for exemplary followers, I will provide a practical example on how to operate as an exemplary follower when presenting an issue to a superior.
At any given time, our superiors are typically juggling a multitude of issues. As followers, we should always try to avoid adding another raw issue to their ever growing pile. We can accomplish this by completing the following four steps when presenting an issue to them either verbally or by e-mail, if time permits.
The first step is to gather relevant information about the issue. It is also important to obtain additional information addressing any probable questions. The second step is to develop a list of possible solutions. Presenting a few viable solutions is generally desirable. Step three is to briefly list the pros and cons for each solution. Finally, present your recommended solution and provide rationale on why it is the best one. When these steps are systematically executed the follower will have practically solved the issue for your superior. This example illustrates a portable technique of exercising critical thinking and active engagement as an exemplary follower.
Throughout our entire Air Force careers, we will serve under at least one boss. Therefore, we should be committed to becoming exemplary followers and actively mentor our subordinates to become this type of indispensible follower as well. The bottom line is exemplary followership is a force multiplier.