Introduction

What is a Good Follower?

Good followers are the most valuable members of any organization.  Robert E. Kelly says:

Organizations stand or fall partly on the basis of how well the leaders lead, but partly also on the basis of how the followers follow

Everyone in an organization is a Leader and follower at the same time. Everyone in an organization, from the most senior on down, has a senior to whom they report, whose Leadership they should follow and support. In that relationship they are followers. Yet, everyone in an organization, from the most junior up, has people whom they can influence or inspire. In that relationship they are Leaders. As Joseph Rost points out, in this complex world in which we live and in the many facets of our lives, “people have several relationships going on at any one time...they are leaders in some relationships and followers in others.” Joseph Nye points out that that in large organizations such in the Intelligence Community organizations:

…most people end up leading from the middle, serving as leaders and followers—principals and agents—at the same time.  Such followers help their bosses to lead as well as provide leadership for their own followers.

As one of his “A Dozen Quick Take-Aways” he says:

Leadership can exist at any level, with or without formal authority.  Most people are both leaders and followers.  They “lead from the middle”.

Max DePree puts it another way,  

...in almost every group nearly everybody at different times and in different ways plays two roles: one is creator, and the other is implementer.  This key relationship is often underestimated and mistakenly cast in the light of  “boss” and “subordinate”.

Gary Wills, after studying and comparing successful and unsuccessful political Leaders found that an important element of success was the relationship of Leaders to followers.  He found that in successful organizations,  “...followers do not submit to the person of the leader. They join him or her in the pursuit of the goal.”  Or, put another way, Robert Kelly, says “...effective followers see themselves—except in terms of line responsibility—as equals of the leaders they follow.”   By joining with, and considering themselves in some ways the equal of the Leader, followers become Partners in Leading the organization.

 Thus, based on the definitions of Leadership from which this course started---inspiring people to accept change and improve to accomplish goals that are the right thing to do—when a follower “joins” with the Leader in the pursuit of the goals of the organization the follower becomes a “Partner” in the Leadership of the organization.  Indeed, Joseph C. Rost  says that “Only people who are active in the leadership process are followers....followers do not do followership, they do leadership.” To be a good follower you can’t be just active, you must be active in the leadership process.  Indeed, as Patrick L. Townsend and Joan E. Gephardt say:

Followership is not only a prerequisite to leadership, it is also a continuing role. Exemplary followers demonstrate an ability to become good leaders---while continuing to be good followers.

So, followers who aspire to be Leaders should view themselves as Partners with the Leader in the Leadership of the organization!  The role of followers as Partners in the leadership process in any organization is to adhere to the definition of Leadership and set the example and encourage others to:

    -accept and support change.

    -contribute to the achievement of the organizational goals by improving their own

    performance.

     -do the right thing and make sure that the organization is doing the right thing.

The leadership role of a good follower is to inspire others to accept change and improve and do the right thing.  As a follower, you are expected to be a Leader without a title. Thus, as Robin Sharma says:

When it comes to showing leadership at work and within your life, there are no extra acts. Every act matters. Each behavior counts. And with each movement, you strengthen.Here's what I'm suggesting: every small act of honesty actually strengthens the foundation of honesty in your life. By speaking truth and being radically ethical, you will actually draw into your life more honest/ethical people. Your transactions will be ones based on trust and goodness. And therefore they will lead to more enduring-and successful-results.
Small acts of excellence will serve to heighten both your commitment to excellence and the overall tone of excellence within your work and personal life. You'll attract more excellent people to you - as well as more opportunities to act excellent.
So expressing the best within you and being a true Leader Without a Title really does become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more you behave greatly, the more that very stance fuels more greatness….

No matter where in the organization you are, if you do those things then some others in the organization   will observe and follow your example, if only to stay competitive for recognition, pay or promotion.  Thus, as a follower, you will become a Leader of the others, a Partner in Leading the organization. 

It is important that intelligence professionals accept this role as Partners in the leadership of the organization.  As Rost states,  “…the original connotation of the word  ‘followership’ makes sense only in the industrial leadership paradigm, where leadership is good management.”  Unfortunately, today, too many of the senior people in our military and Intelligence Community organizations, either by pressure or choice, have focused on management.  Thus, they fail to realize the full potential of their followers and their organizations suffer.  But if intelligence professional followers will step in and provide what Michael Useem calls “upward leadership” they can improve the performance of the organization.  Useem says that

…upward leadership means stepping in when senior managers need help….Leading up is a matter of offering your boss your strategic insights or persuading a superior to alter directions before it is too late.  It requires working in two directions at once—stepping into the breach when nobody above you is doing so, and listening to those below you when they have much to offer you.

You may even be able to turn your manager boss into a Leader.  As Sal Marino, a former CEO contends, “followers create leaders….”  At least it is worth a try because, as he says,  “inevitably followers get the kind of leaders they deserve.” 

The Core Traits and Other Qualities of Good Followers

Robert E. Kelly lists the “qualities” of “effective followers” as:

1. They manage themselves well. 
2. They are committed to the organization and a purpose, principle or person outside themselves.
3. They build their competence...
4. They are courageous, honest, and credible.

Notice how the words on that list reflect the leadership core traits of integrity, competence and courage.  That is why Kelly says, 

...the qualities that make effective followers are, confusingly enough, pretty much the same qualities found in some effective leaders. This is no mere coincidence, of course.

Interestingly, among the “qualities” that Kelly lists as desirable in followers is “courage”.  That is understandable for some types of, especially, military followers.   But, why courage for a staff officer, you may ask?  The answer is given by Ira Chaliff .   He cites the need for followers to have:

-The courage to assume responsibility.
-The courage to serve.
-The courage to challenge.
-The courage to participate in transformation.
-The courage to take moral action.
-The courage to listen to followers.

 Stephen Lundin and Lynne Lancaster list the qualities desirable in a government civilian executive such as an intelligence professional in a staff position:

-...have personal integrity that includes both loyalty to the organization and a willingness to act on their own beliefs..
-own the territory...they understand the organization and their own contribution to it. 
-are versatile, skillful and flexible enough to adapt to a changing environment.
-take responsibility for their own actions and own development

On the other hand, many in the Intelligence Community will be on a career path to be expert Leaders at the analytical or technical level rather than organizational Leaders.  Yet, the same qualities are required.  Paul E. Teague has provided a “checklist of leadership traits in engineering” which can serve as excellent guidance for any expert leader.

-Seeks constantly to increase knowledge in his/her own area and other technical areas.
-Enthusiastically works outside his/her specialty when necessary.
-Communicates with and motivates other team members.
-Offers suggestions...and seeks suggestions too.
-Sticks with a problem, whether technical, administrative, or financial until a solution is found, then moves on.
-Disagrees with management when necessary, yet remains a team player.

Clearly, the core traits of  integrity, competence and courage, which can be found in some manner in all of those lists, are not only the traits that followers desire in their Leaders, but also the core traits that Leaders need from their followers. Of course, just as Leaders require many other traits, so followers must have other qualities as well.  Kelly lists some other characteristics of effective followers.

·  enthusiastic, self reliant;

·  risk takers, self starters, independent problem solvers;

·  energetic, assertive;

·  but most of all, independent critical thinkers.

Staff Officers as Partners in the Leadership Process

As you approach mid-career, you will very likely be assigned to a more senior staff.  Military officers will serve on their Service staff or on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, or on the staff of a Combatant Commander.  Civilian officers will serve on an Agency executive staff or on the Community staff.  It is in such staff positions that professionals are observed, groomed and selected for leadership positions.  

As a Staff Officer on a senior staff, you will need to do more than just be a good follower and exemplary Leader of your juniors and peers.  More than any other follower, Staff Officers must consider themselves as Partners in the leadership process.  That is because staff officers are the direct extension of the Leader.  Staff officers assist and support their Leaders in carrying out their responsibilities:

-to participate fully and actively in Community and organizational policy, planning and decisionmaking activities.
-to create a vision and goals for their organization in support of  Community and higher level organizational visions and goals.
-to develop  policies and plans for the implementation of the higher level direction and guidance as well as for the realization of the organizational vision and goals. 

Indeed, in this role as General Perry Smith emphasized to Pentagon staff officers, their role was to “lead the generals”. That is necessary because Leaders have broad responsibilities and authority covering many specific areas of expertise or topics.  But during their careers they likely only have had the opportunity to become expert in one or two of those areas or topics and may only have gained a superficial knowledge of others.  Thus, in many of the specific areas or topics for which Leaders are responsible to act, they need a staff officer who is a knowledgeable expert to advise them and help them think through the implications of the issue—i.e., Lead them—to make the appropriate decision. 

Once the Leader has made the decision, regardless of whether it is in accord with the Staff Officer’s recommendations or not, the Staff Officer takes the initiatives and actions required to implement the decision in the name of and by the authority of their Leader. No matter how talented Leaders are, they cannot carry out their responsibilities alone.  Nor can Staff Officers act without the authority of a Leader.  The Staff Officer is a Partner with the brain and the hands of the Leader.

To see how General George Washington used his staff as Partners in the Leadership of the Continental Army, click here:           

Leadership Development Opportunities for the Staff Officer

There are at least six ways that you can continue to develop your leadership talent when in a staff job.

• First, emphasize the development of your core Leadership traits.
• Observe leaders, both good and bad.
• Acquire a mentor.
• Begin to develop your career-long professional network.
• Seek opportunities to Lead.
• Speak up.  

Each one will be discussed in turn.

First, Emphasize the Development of Your Core Leadership Traits

When it comes to showing leadership at work and within your life, there are no extra acts. Every act matters. Each behavior counts. And with each movement, you strengthen.

Here's what I'm suggesting: every small act of honesty actually strengthens the foundation of honesty in your life. By speaking truth and being radically ethical, you will actually draw into your life more honest/ethical people. Your transactions will be ones based on trust and goodness. And therefore they will lead to more enduring-and successful-results.
Small acts of excellence will serve to heighten both your commitment to excellence and the overall tone of excellence within your work and personal life. You'll attract more excellent people to you - as well as more opportunities to act excellent.
So expressing the best within you and being a true Leader Without a Title really does become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more you behave greatly, the more that very stance fuels more greatness….

Captain Ronald E. Ratliff, USN, writing on “Becoming an Officer of Consequence” on a joint staff, highlights the need for a staff officer to have an “ethical framework” [Integrity], a “decisionmaking framework” [Competence] and a “risk management framework” [Courage].  He notes, as mentioned previously, that the three are tied together by Courage:

• Courage to take risks.
• Courage to make decisions.
• Courage to speak up for the right way.

Observe Leaders,  Both Good and Bad

When assigned as a staff officer on a senior staff you will be working with the top Leaders of your agency, the military or the Intelligence Community. What a wonderful opportunity to watch and learn from them! You should look upon it as an opportunity for continued leadership development.  Take the opportunity to observe the senior Leaders around you.  Watch then to see how the leadership theories and practices, which you have studied, work in the real world.  You should be looking for the core traits, personal qualities and professional skills exemplified by your Leaders, to see whether or not they display them, and how the people of the organization respond. You should be observing if and how your Leaders tailor the different types and styles of Leadership to the task and the people---the situation---in order to be successful. You should be noticing what makes some Leaders more successful than others. In short, make it a project to study the Leadership of others. Both the good and the bad.  There is a lot to learn!

Acquire a Mentor  

Another excellent way to learn while on a staff is to acquire a mentor. That is the next step to studying Leaders from afar; studying with a Leader up close and one-on-one. Most General or Flag officers and many Senior Executives act as mentors for their aides or administrative assistants. The best treat their entire staff that way.

Captain Ratliff writes that, on joint staffs, Commanders desire staff officers “…who are industrious versus those who just do their job” and those who strive to bring “…a wide range of professional knowledge versus those who are content to contribute along more narrowly focused lines.” He notes that the former officers “…are the officers of consequence whose opinions are valued even if they run counter to conventional or popular thinking.”  Leaders challenge those officers and get out of the way.  The  other officers, given the opportunity and right motivation have the potential to become officers of consequence and “…as mentors, commanders should push their officers in that direction.” 

A classic case is the pre-WWII Army staff under Chief of Staff General George Marshall who selected and groomed the junior generals of the Army staff. Many of them—such as Eisenhower, Bradley, Collins, Ridgway, and Taylor—turned out to be the great Leaders of World War II.  But, that was just the result of a mentoring process that had been started earlier by General Fox Conner who had been a tutor to both Eisenhower and Marshall. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has recently written that “Conner and Marshall first became friends when they served together on the staff of General “Black Jack” Pershing during World War I. In the 1920s, Eisenhower served as staff assistant under Brigadier General Conner in the Panama Canal Zone.  From Conner, Marshall and Eisenhower learned much about leadership and the conduct of war.”

 Later, Eisenhower wrote that:  

Life with General Conner was a sort of graduate school in military affairs and the humanities, leavened by a man who was experienced in his knowledge of men and their conduct. I can never adequately express my gratitude to this one gentleman...he is the one more or less invisible figure to whom I owe an incalculable debt.

One biographer of Eisenhower calls Conner “The Man Who Made Eisenhower”. 

Many Intelligence Community organizations have created formal mentoring programs in which they require senior executives to mentor middle managers and often have an outside professional involved in setting a curriculum and guiding the process. In some individual cases those programs work; and by participating one may find a mentor, either the one initially assigned or another.  But in many cases, because both parties are overly busy, they become pro forma , box-checking activities with little benefit. To make such programs work, as Beverly Kaye recommends, organizations need to focus them on their “top talent” and “managers and leaders need to make mentoring a positive experience, part of their on-going responsibilities.”  And, as mentioned previously, (Topic: “Leadership Competencies”) mentoring programs should include leadership coaching in “self awareness…social skills…” so that aspiring Leaders “become more empathetic toward others and more understanding of themselves…” and receive “guidance in how to treat others.” .

On the other hand, a mentoring relationship need not be a formal student to teacher relationship or necessarily even a regularized one.  Rather, the mentor can just be some more senior or experienced person on the staff who is willing to answer your questions and coach, advise and guide you as you face new challenges.  These people are not in short supply, some of the senior officers or executives on the staff will want to identify outstanding juniors and work to develop them. Those officials expect to be the future Leaders of the organization. They are planning on going places, on moving up, and they know that someday soon they will reach the rank and position where they will be able to choose their own staff. Thus, they are naturally looking junior officers and professionals who are “industrious” and who have a “wide range of professional knowledge” with whom they can work, size up and gain trust in so that they can call upon them to be on their staff in the future.   But, they are likely to be ready to work with any  officer or professional who is “doing their job” and is still “narrowly focused” but who expresses a willingness to do more and an interest in learning more.  As Captain Ratliff points out, on a joint staff, mentors “…educate, teach and provide exposure” to junior staff members in order to begin their development to becoming officers of consequence.  That is a great opportunity for you.  

-To acquire a mentor, take the opportunity to observe the seniors about two levels above you from a distance as they deal with people and perform their leadership activities. Try to sit in on meetings they chair or watch them in action. Then, later, ask intelligent questions about how and why they did what they did. You will soon find someone willing to include you in their activities on a regular basis and share their knowledge with you.

-In selecting a mentor, however, use caution. The object is to form a learning relationship, not develop a sponsor-to-sycophant relationship. If you are not careful, that can sometimes happen. In an attempt to establish a relationship, some juniors try to impress the senior, or satisfy the senior or just plain get ahead, by doing what the senior wants done without thinking and questioning. That’s bad. First of all, that way they learn nothing. Furthermore, there are some seniors who, when they see that they have found someone willing to do their dirty work, will take advantage of them. Indeed, a relationship that starts out as a mentorship may turn into the other, sometimes even by accident, or just be perceived as being the other by your peers. If that occurs, the juniors are often blamed, not only for their own sins, but for the sins of the senior. 

 -There have been many cases in which a junior has followed a senior from organization to organization over their careers. Of course the career of the junior flourishes as the senior assures that the junior gets good evaluations, good jobs and promotions. But eventually the senior retires, leaving the junior in mid-career. At that point, all the enemies whom the senior has made over the years and all the peers who have resented the success of the junior over the years will seek their revenge. Often the junior’s career ends there. For that reason, the best thing is not to stay working for, or in the same organization or chain of command with, the mentor beyond a single tour or, at most, a follow-on tour. If you have formed a true mentor to student relationship you will still be able to keep in touch to seek guidance and help in the future.

Begin to Develop Your Career-Long Professional Network

A third thing that you can do to further your leadership development while on a staff is to begin building professional networks that will last you throughout your career.  According to Hermina Ibarra and Mark Hunter, there are really three distinct kinds of networks that a Leader needs: operational, personal and strategic. 

Seek Opportunities to Lead.

Opportunities to Lead can be delegated; your mentor can do that. Or, they can be assumed because of the neglect or absence of the person responsible and with the approval of the boss. Shortly after the first Gulf War,  Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger, USAF described how opportunities to Lead are often “lying on the table waiting to be picked up.” For example, there are opportunities to organize an effort that is in chaos or opportunities to take the initiative and start a new effort that is obviously needed. Being on a staff, especially in time of crisis, is a great opportunity to see and grasp opportunities to demonstrate your developing leadership qualities and skills to the top Leaders of your organization. Seeing you using your leadership talent, your seniors will mark you as a comer for the future. When they go looking for members for their staff, they’ll know on whom to call.  Joseph Nye quotes Richard Armitage an experienced military officer and defense civilian, who was later selected by Colin Powell to be his Under Secretary of State in the Bush Administration as advising:

Always take 20 percent more authority than granted.  It is much better to have someone dial you back  than have to dial you forward.

A final way to develop your leadership talent and demonstrate your  developing leadership abilities while on a staff  is, as mentioned previously (Topic: Leadership Competencies), to develop and lead sessions on leadership topics for more junior personnel. As a developing Leader, you could develop such presentations by drawing on the subtopics of this website. There is nothing like having to deliver a presentation and answer questions to help you expand your own knowledge and understanding of a topic. Furthermore, it demonstrates a commitment to Leadership for all to see.    

Speak Up !

The “Bad” Boss

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Leader, or even to have a good manager trying to be a Leader, as a boss.  Sometimes, unless you are lucky, you will have a “bad” boss or what the military calls a “toxic leader”.  These people are easy to spot—i.e.; “…they have little patience, they get angry easily, they have to be right and blame others when they are not, so they are controlling, and don’t delegate.”  The reasons may be that they either have low Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and just don’t get along with people well or that they are over their head, out of their depth in the job and struggling, or both.  But fighting the boss is not an option, you do so at your own peril.  You have to get along and it can be done.  But, you must devote thought, time and energy into making the relationship work.  The keys are understanding and communication.

Stanley Bing is an expert on identifying “crazy bosses”, he claims to have been one.  He identifies five types:

• Bully- driven by rage and mood swings and manages by manipulation, aggression and terror.
• Paranoid- motivated by fear and highly mistrustful of others.
• Narcissist- self focused, incapable of recognizing others needs, has short attention span.
• Wimp – driven by anxiety, impressed by fads, takes credit for others’ work.
• Disaster Hunter – desire and lust are key motivators, vicious when thwarted, workaholic.

If you sense that you have a “crazy boss”, you have got to assess the type because each has to be handled in a different way for you to survive.  For example:

• Bully – the hardest to handle, so avoid boss as much as possible.
• Paranoid – continually consult boss before acting and only provide good news.
• Narcissist – stay close to boss and continually compliment.
• Wimp –provide boss ideas for new initiatives, implement well and let the boss take the credit.
• Disaster Hunter – make plans to get away before the boss destroys its reputation.

For the more typical “bad boss” John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter say:

Managing your boss requires that you gain an understanding of the boss in his or her context….At a minimum, you need to appreciate your boss’s goals and pressures, his or her strengths or weaknesses….what are his or her pressures, especially from his or her own boss and others at the same level.  What are your boss’s long suits and blind spots?  What is the preferred style of working?  Does your boss like to get information through memos, formal meetings, phone calls?  Does he or she thrive on conflict or try to minimize it?  Without this information, a manager is flying blind when dealing with the boss and unnecessary conflicts, misunderstandings , and problems are inevitable.

Once you understand your boss, communication is the key.  As John Hoover says: “There is no more powerful way to impress a boss than to be a supporter.”  He recommends that you do everything you can to make your boss comfortable with you, be positive, helpful, but even emulate the boss’s dress and speech habits in subtle ways.  Most of all, however, the goal is to build a relationship of trust.  Intentionally and regularly keep your boss informed of what you are doing.  Do it in the manner that the boss prefers.   As an illustration that you must know how your boss operates so that you know how to provide information and support at the appropriate time, consider Ron Suskin’s description of how former DCI George Tenet operated:

This is also what Tenet does: he thinks out loud, thinks as he talks it, searches forward in verbal leaps and lunges. He did it, time and again.

 Also try to time your interaction with the boss so that you catch him or her when free or bored or in need of good news and give the boss credit when reporting progress.  Likewise, when expecting disappointment or failure, alert the boss early and seek advice.  But, don’t make a big thing of any of this, do it with out being obvious and don’t overwhelm the boss with micro-information .  You don’t want to give the impression of either “sucking up” or being in need of constant guidance.  

Conclusion: The Focus of a Staff Officer

In conclusion, being a follower and a staff officer is an opportunity to develop your leadership talent and presents the right time to focus on developing and demonstrating your core traits of integrity, competence and courage. And, since followership is part of Leadership, the focus of a staff officer ought to be on both people and change for improvement which is the right thing to do for the people of the organization, the organization itself, and those it supports. Those two criteria should be fundamental to the assessment of every issue and part of every recommendation made to the boss. If you do not take both into consideration and strike a balance between them, you are failing your boss as a follower and not developing your leadership talent.