What Kind of Follower Are You?

"Instead of looking only at what the leader is doing, what if we looked at the interaction of leaders and followers in the Bible?” asks Jim Galvin in his excellent and accessible book.

I’ve Got Your Back: Biblical Principles for Leading and Following Well, by James C. Galvin.

Galvin is an organizational consultant who specializes in strategy, effectiveness, and change. He is the co-creator of the Life Application Bible. Galvin has written a story about leadership and how to be an effective follower and leader. The first part of the book was written in a parable. The parable covered the lives of four people who are experiencing problems with following their leaders and some are struggling in serving in their church roles. The second part of the book was written as a survey and summary of the theology of leadership and followership. A significant concept that he pointed out was that leadership and followership are two sides to the same coin and you have to be a good follower to be a great leader. 

Galvin uses an acronym: REAL (Responsible, Ethical, Authentic, and Loving) to describe what it means to follow well. He talks about 5 types of followers in an organization: 

1. Disruptive “followers” (They cause problems and are resistant and antagonistic.)
2. Disengaged “followers” (They are mentally checked-out slackers and are distant and disconnected.)
3. Compliant followers (They do what they are told to do, but are sheep. They offer no life-giving contributions. They simply and only meet expectations.)
4. Engaged followers (They are encouraging, helpful, supportive. They are strong team players.)
5. Courageous followers (They are contributors, helping the leader to lead well, teaming with the leader. They are highly synergistic with the leader.)

Obviously, the best organizations have the most engaged and courageous followers. 

Favorite quotes: “Following well in any organization means establishing a relationship with the leader, clarifying our roles and responsibilities, taking initiative, and doing more than is asked of us. It involves giving feedback to the leader, assisting the leader, and helping the leader to lead well. All of this is simply fulfilling our part in the leader-follower dynamic.” 

“We cannot blame our level of followership on the leader of the organization. We are free to be a courageous follower no matter how incompetent of a leader we serve under. The goal of effective people is to follow at level four or five in every area of life.” 

“We might as well learn to follow well because we will be followers the rest of our lives. Even when we hold a leadership position, we still report to a manager or a board of directors and must follow their directives.”