Leader Follower Relationship

A633.7.3.RB

Complete the exercise at the beginning of chapter 10 and use the scoring table at the end to assess your responses.

Reflect on what this assessment means in terms of you as a leader and your relationship to your followers.

• Has your thinking changed over the course of the past six weeks, if so; why, and, if not; why?
• What is the significance of this in the context of your future leadership goals and objectives?

After completing the exercise at the beginning of chapter 10, the results revealed that I favored strategy 3 (S3) with a score of 7. According to Obolensky (2014), “This is used either when the leader does not know or chooses to hold back to allow others to discover the solution” (p. 171). The other scores were as follows: S1 – 3, S2 – 4, and S4 – 2. Overall, I believe this is an accuracy representation of my leadership style. With a military background, I understand the value of allowing others to work through challenges in order to seek a favorable outcome. From my point of view, it is my responsibility to properly train my subordinates (build them up) and allow them to practice their trade craft, while remaining involve in the form of support or guidance. In other words, we all are expected to be able to perform our duties and address skill gaps when the situation requires. The other scores also indicate that depending of the situation and the context, I am capable of moving from one strategy to the other; mostly S1 – Tell & S2 – Sell. The one area that was lacking was is S4 – Devolve, which may be indicative of the highly structured and hierarchical organization I spent many years working in (military). With this insight, I plan to expand my knowledge, skill, and comfortability within S4 to achieve a higher level of leadership that Obolensky (2014) notes, “S4 is equal to the concept of ‘wu wei’ – the art of inaction – and inaction here does not mean doing nothing! Someone needs to keep an eye across the boundaries and into the future, and in an oligarchic assumed organisation (as most are) the leaders are in the best place for this role” (p. 171).

I have always held the relationship of leader and follower as a sacred bond because trust and respect are at the foundation for producing highly effective teams. Although my thinking of my leadership style and the relationship between followers and leaders have not necessary changed, it has however, has evolved over the course of the MSLD program and this particular course. For example, in the military, leaders are expected to be visible and make timely decisions. Yet Obolensky (2014) tell us that many of the organizational fixes develop at the lower levels, while senior leaders typically have the solutions 10% of the time. As I have transitioned into the civilian workforce, this point becomes more and more clear. Thus, I have been forced to relook and weigh my own leadership styles and practices to better support an organization and my team members. Moreover, as I progress through the MSLD program and become exposed to Complex Adaptive Leadership (CAL) and the principals involved, it’s getting easier for me to view the leader/follower relationship on an even plane oppose to the traditional oligarchical structure.

I remain committed to developing and embracing the leader/follower relationship. As I go forward, I will continue to reevaluate my future goals and objectives as my understanding and comfortability with CAL increases. The implication is that these insights, strategies, and theories are applicable on the career field I will eventually pursue. Nevertheless, I can say with certainty, that regardless of which career field I choose, my leadership abilities will undoubtedly enhance the organizations culture and my team’s effectiveness.

Reference

Obolensky, N. (2014) Complex Adaptive Leadership (2^nd edition): Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Kindle Edition.