Leaders need followers and developing an exceptional program for comfortable followership is important. Empowerment enables the follower to do their job more efficiently and implementing empowerment begins with creating more involvement, a fun environment, offer development programs for succession planning, provide information on how their input is making a positive difference for the organization, and autonomy which will provide enhanced overall commitment.

A training session for leaders with positional power aimed at informing them of proper procedures when dealing with followers such as being clear in communication, accepting honest feedback, not to kill the messenger who presents negative news, and to incorporate the art of enthusiasm. 67% of employee stress is attributed to the manager’s style & behaviors which is why most employee resignations are due to poor leader-member relations.

Followers want to be liked, rewarded, and aim to avoid punishment. Trust is an integral concept of being a leader and trust begets trust. Additionally, I would suggest a personal development program to enhance social-emotional skills of leaders in order to improve relationships with followers because a leader’s social skills ultimately affect the overall climate of the company, and impacts the clients who directly support the organizational operations. I would suggest implementing reward systems for leaders around their follower’s upward feedback and team accomplishments upon completion of the program.

• The desired results would aid in loyalty, commitment, and enhance support of the organizations functions as well as displaying a distinct honest employee voice that benefits the company as a whole.

Mary Parker Follett was born three years after the conclusion of the U.S. Civil War and during a time where women didn’t have a voice she expressed a vast vision that has impacted the field of leadership. She introduced the concepts that define the situational context of leadership which consists of what is required at the moment. According to Warren Bennis, She called for a shift from a command & control style of leadership to a more empowered, democratic, and shared vision between leaders and followers. She expressed a need for leaders to exert expert power rather than the chosen method of the time of coercive power.

• Additionally, she was the first to document the importance of the follower’s role for the leadership situation which was described as “Good Followership”.

Her greatest contribution stems from identifying the overarching fact that leadership is not inborn, but rather, a learned discipline. She described this dimension as an important facet for proper leadership because the individual who believed they could learn to be great leaders went on to become leaders in their own right, and those who believed that they were not born to be leaders remained in subordinate positions. She spoke about social interactions with people where she expressed the importance or knowing how and when to praise, how and when to point out mistakes, and what attitude to display towards failure.

Keith Lawrence Miller | The Elite Coach | The Million Dollar Coaching Company | http://EliteProCoach.com  | (855) My-Pro-Coach