Leadership and Role of Followers - Essay Example

A vehicle can be perfect, but it is not autonomous. At the same time, the driver can go somewhere on foot, but it will take far too long. I think this analogy clearly explains my vision of the role of followers in the organization. Leaders with committed followers are more successful than those who are not supported by others. I am a student and I can observe the role of the followers when we work in groups. Team leaders become the main decision-makers. However, if their decisions are not supported by the team, they cannot make people work together. Instead of working they waste their time trying to persuade the leader to change his or her mind. Good support from followers boosts work effectiveness.

Successful empowerment depends on many factors. First of all, it is presented by leaders' ability to listen to their followers and take their opinions seriously. Ignorant leaders are not respected by their followers; accordingly, they cannot empower them. Second, leaders should give people enough freedom to act. If people feel that they are also decision-makers, they are more committed to their work.

The article by Kotelnikov (n.d.) presents the most essential function of effective leadership. In my opinion, developing a shared vision is the most crucial one. I believe that people can work together successfully only when they have the same vision of the situation. Leaders who lie to their followers or do not share their plans with them fail to make their followers see the same picture. I have observed several examples of good and bad leadership at school when we were divided into groups of four to work on our projects. Those groups where team leaders were not sharing information with their followers and tried to do as much work as possible themselves without engaging their teams were a failure. At the same time, the teams where all participants understood their goal and had their tasks to be done created a role model for the rest to follow.

I also believe that leaders need to keep their followers inspired. When people have low motivation to work, their results and achievements are humble. However, motivation always gives people energy and impetus to work faster and better. If people believe in what they do and see that the results of their work are recognized by their leaders, they will continue working either in the same rhythm or even better.

Overall, the article covers many relevant points, but these two are the most important for me. I do not see the way to successful and effective leadership without shared vision and inspiration. People need to know what they do, where they go, and why. Having this information, they can work more effectively and be satisfied with their roles. Read More