Case Study - Types of Followers

There are different types of followers, but all leaders have followers.

Marketers are looking for followers, sellers..looking for followers.

The sooner one realizes this impact on one's life, one's business,

the sooner one starts moving down the right path.

To be a good leader, a good salesperson, a good marketer, you have to have followers and as we develop our own personal leadership, we will have better followers. It "magically" just happens. What makes a good follower? Can someone develop there "followership?"

Some of us think we don't have much control over those closest to us. I recommend those people read Maxwell's Law of the Inner Circle. In The  21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John states, "a leader's potential is determined by those closest to him."

An earlier post in this blog about followers led to a discussion about some assessments say about one's "follower style." Did you know you have a follower style?

Here are 2 real life people (names changed) and their follower styles as described in the ABC (Assessment of Behavioral Characteristics)/DISC Assessment Evaluation -

Bob's Follower Style:

· He will tend to seek ways to be in charge and in control. Most likely, he will have difficulty if he is tasked with working under a micro manager. He can follow well as long as the understanding exists that the situation is temporary.

He will follow when he knows that the opportunity for him to advance is not far off.

Kandy's Follower Style:

· She follows well when she has plenty of details about the direction in which she is heading. She will tend to ask a lot of clarification questions and check for understanding as she goes. She will follow a leader best when she focuses on the task which is at hand and provides an abundance of information.
 
Though you might object with Bob or Kandy's follower style, you at least know this about them. If you know this pre-hire you can use this in the hiring process. If it becomes known post-hire, you at least know how to work with them and/or team him or her up correctly.

Just because the ABC/DISC says this is how a person follows does not mean this is the only way, but likely the best. Understanding these different "styles" will help you follow and lead others with better results.

My point...learn to lead, learn to follow and on a separate note, but related...learn to think about leading. What haven't you thought about leadership? What does leadership have to do with how you market yourself?
 
To that end....