The Balance of the Leader-Follower Relationship

Two human values that hold the key to enhance work relations

Different leadership qualities are needed to be productive in different situations. Qualities like diplomacy, courage, consistency, fairness, and firmness. All useful virtues indeed, but they have a place and time.

Any virtue misused, deployed in the wrong situation or with the wrong intent can become a vice. For instance, consistency becomes rigidity, courage leads to recklessness and firmness can morph into brutality.

As leaders acquire power, traits, behaviours, and qualities that contributed to their success are validated. This affirmation can lead to excessive reliance on these qualities in the future. If a leader only receives positive feedback, their qualities are reinforced.

In some instances it can become dysfunctional.

Character flaws of minor consequence can grotesquely magnify with an increase in power. In this situation, the risk is that a leader’s talents can be eclipsed by their weaknesses.

Dynamic leaders spark followers into action. They’re the flame that ignites a motive in others. Thorugh their vision, they generate the power of focus. The power to influence. But followers are the gatekeepers, those who facilitate the beneficial use of a leader's power. Dynamic leaders tend to use power effectively, but they’re never the gatekeeper, so they must seek permission.

Through expansiveness, passion, energy, and drive leaders can be hypnotized by excess. A merger too big to refuse, a deal too large, a competitor too envied, a profit-margin too ambitious, a lifestyle too materialistic, a brand-image too pure, a purpose too righteous.

A bridge too far.

Gatekeepers can arrest excess. Followers hold the power to strike a balance through their courage to stand up to leaders.

Essential elements

There are two essential elements that nurture workplace relations. Trust and honesty. Leaders' trust must be honest and used appropriately as one without the other is meaningless.

Courage also underpins a leader's ability to maintain a genuine relationship with their followers. The type of courage that values and delivers trust and honesty.

From an elevated position of power, leaders can be prone to losing touch with their followers, with reality, known as “the king’s disease.” As such, Leaders are dependent on their followers to keep them grounded in reality.

Lesson

Leadership expert, Warren Bennis, said that “70 percent of followers” do not challenge a leader’s point of view “even when they feel the leader is about to make a mistake”. This is a huge flaw.

The message for leaders is to create a culture where follower-feedback is invited, encouraged, welcomed and heard. Build a work environment where trust and honesty form the bedrock of the organization. Otherwise, 70 percent of workers will continue to be unheard!