Nowadays, more and more people struggle with finding their ideal workplace, which would allow them to combine personal and professional needs, aspirations, expectations, and the desire to find a purpose in the work they are doing. This is valid for both development and humanitarian workers, as well.
Nowadays, more and more people struggle with finding their ideal workplace, which would allow them to combine personal and professional needs, aspirations, expectations, and the desire to find a purpose in the work they are doing. This is valid for both development and humanitarian workers, as well. They might be suffering not only because they are exposed to unimaginable human suffering or poverty but also because of feeling stuck in the field, in a country, or in a job that doesn’t allow more space for personal and professional growth. If this is your case, you need a change! But what to do and how? What are the best options you might choose to be able to make smart decisions with the best outcomes for yourself? There are a few paths you could follow, and one of them is looking for a coach or mentor. You would probably ask why, and this article is about explaining the interdependence between leadership-followership-mentorship.
There are various reasons why having a coach or mentor might be an excellent solution for a career transition or career change. Mentors are highly skilled, experienced professionals who provide guidance and support for a specific need or in a particular situation. A mentor will look at your needs, skills, strengths, and weaknesses and will objectively assess whether you are a leader or a great follower. I am writing this because too often, we hear about leadership skills and development, but we forget to mention the followers, the ones who accept to be led. Leaders and their followers form that system which, according to the existing studies and data, impact the way people feel at their workplace.
According to Gallup’s latest research, The Real Future of Work / 2018, there is a growing demand for leaders who successfully deal with the human dimension aspect in the workplace. Leaders are accepted and followed if they provide the necessary support, motivation, and autonomy to their teams and individuals. There will be an increasing need for coaching-style leadership, soft skills, and being seen more as a leading partner. For example, as a leader you should be able to listen and ask questions properly, to understand the problems, dilemmas of your colleagues and find ways to solve the issues through collaboration.
We also need to talk about the attitude and behavior of good followers. Since most leaders have a boss or a supervisor, leaders are also followers in the majority of the cases.
What characterizes good followers?
Just as leaders need to develop themselves and their competencies, so do followers. A good follower has two main characteristics: critical thinking and active behavior. Critical thinking means being aware of what is going on around us and what the team needs to succeed. And dynamic behavior comes when we do not lean back on others, but go ahead and do our job if we are the best at it.
It is along with these 2 characteristics that Robert E. Kelley developed his theory about different types of followers.
- Effective followers are critical, independent, and proactive. They easily cope with change, make responsible decisions, and always focus on what is essential to the team. They are aware of how others see them.
- Yes- people are willing to do anything, up to servilism, without questioning too much. They avoid conflicts on a large scale, follow the quietest path, and are infinitely loyal to the leader.
- Sheep are passive and uncritical, lacking self-initiative. They think little and do little.
- Alienated followers are critical and independent in their mind, but passive in action. They can be very cynical and feel that they cannot influence their environment.
- The survivors are followers who can jump into any situation without too much stress and are easily able to change.
The reality is that most people in real-life situations are followers, rather than leaders, and this is valid for top leadership roles as well. It is just our mindset which focuses mainly on leadership, leaving out or behind the follower’s roles. Effective followership role it can be as much appreciated and inherently valuable as a leadership role.
Whether you are a leader or a follower, mentorship could provide you either a glimpse of self-actualization if you want to be a mentee, or the satisfaction to do good to others. Recent studies revealed that mentorship helps build confidence and self-worth of people of all ages and in different stages of their career. Besides these fundamental psycho-social aspects, mentorship helps better position yourself in the job market and learning new skills. If you think you have already the experience and worked as a leader in a sparkling, motivating environment, you can start mentoring and returning the knowledge you have gained to others.
At the end of the day, leadership, followership, and mentorship are about people and healthy, constructive human interactions that will make each of us thrive.
