Monthly Archive for February, 2009

As a leader, you are not the only one who sets the tone in the organization. Those closest to you may have considerably more operational contact with staff and, therefore, as much or more influence on corporate culture. Because of this, they may, intentionally or not, create an atmosphere that inhibits staff from sending you [...]

Almost all leaders say they have an open door policy. Almost all leaders say they do not want “yes men” surrounding them. Few sufficiently understand or fully mean either of these things. Leaders must challenge themselves as to whether they genuinely value acts of courageous followership. These are rarely voices that bring good news or [...]

Despite the moral demand to leave, a follower may choose to stay—the price of leaving may simply be too high. Courage is not absolute. We cannot judge another for making this choice unless we ourselves have faced it. If we decide to stay, we may justify our decision on the grounds that if all the [...]

Any behavior falls somewhere along a spectrum of intensity for that type of activity. The study of statistics tells us that the distribution of intensities within a group always forms a familiar bell-shaped curve. Most people display similar intensity and form the top of the bell. Diminishing numbers display lesser or greater intensities as we [...]

There is a large step between disavowing a leader and actively opposing him. When disavowing a leader, a follower is casting light on the leader’s actions in the court of public opinion and leaving it to the corrective mechanisms of the organization or society to respond. When courageous followers choose to actively oppose a leader, [...]

As studies of whistleblowers amply demonstrate, it is not uncommon for a follower who disavows or opposes a leader to pay a significant price. If leaders are deeply insecure and vindictive, they may even retaliate for simply suggesting that they review their behavior or policies. Courageous followers may need to come “armed” with “weapons” of [...]

The decision to withdraw support from a leader does not automatically require disavowing that leader. Followers may simply decide there are more important purposes and more values-centered leaders to support or that they are ready to test their own leadership abilities. We can withdraw amicably without detailing our reasons. This is the most common way [...]

The bottom line of followership is that we are responsible for our decision to continue or not to continue following a leader. Even in extremis, we have the choice of supporting an anathema to our values or not. This is the Nuremberg trials principle. The fact that we are following orders absolves us from nothing. [...]

When courageous followers believe that neither the organization’s values nor its purpose are being served well by the leader, and they are considering withdrawing support, they should also examine themselves before acting. In many organizational cultures, colleagues sympathize with us if we gripe to them about the leader. Friends and family do, too. We can [...]

The actions of a leader who is abusing power can be so at odds with his proclaimed values that cognitive dissonance prevents us from fully registering the discrepancies. But we do experience discomfort at the perimeters of our awareness and must try to pay attention to it. Whether we become aware of the values conflict [...]

The “unreasonable” man or woman is sometimes said to be the primary agent of change in a culture. Reasonable people adapt to their sur roundings; unreasonable individuals change those surroundings to better suit their needs. The strength of an unreasonable leader is the ability to think outside the current paradigm and envision entirely new possibilities. [...]

If we express our intention to disobey a morally offensive order, or disobey one and are overridden, we must be as prepared to resign in protest as we are prepared to resign should our own breach of trust warrant it. The implicit power to withdraw support is one of the powers that permits a follower [...]

There are times when we cannot convince leaders to change their policies or actions and we gracefully line up with the team and support the policies. There are other times when the policies or actions are morally unacceptable to us. In this case a courageous follower must consider refusing to participate in their implementation. The [...]

Once we have prepared ourselves for the possibility of leaving the organization, we can examine other strategies available to us that may or may not lead to the necessity to do so. In some circumstances when faced with an order or policy with which we are morally uncomfortable, we have the option of querying or [...]

While separation from an organization may be a long, well-considered process, resignation based on principles is often abrupt. We can resign because of our own breach of trust or in protest of the leader’s. We’ll examine the former situation first. From the day courageous followers assume a position of trust close to a prominent leader, [...]

Most followers are not independently wealthy. The financial factors involved in leaving are often as weighty as the emotional factors. If leaving is a considered decision made mutually with the leader, we usually have little financial problem making the transition. But we will also examine a range of circumstances in which the separation may be [...]

In a relationship between dynamic leaders and committed followers who share a common purpose, withdrawing support from a leader is a wrenching act. It is closer to the experience of divorce than it is to leaving one job for another. As in a divorce, it can take months to begin recovering from the experience and [...]

Though moral action does not always require leaving a group or organization, it always implies the potential of leaving if the offending situation is not corrected or, indeed, if we ourselves have offended the core values of the group. Therefore, we must examine the dynamics of contemplating leaving a group, whether as a natural act [...]

When transformation occurs it should be acknowledged. We all believe we are good people. When that belief has been challenged and we have walked the difficult road of attempting to match reality with our beliefs, we deserve to hear about that as clearly as we heard about our flaws. This does not mean rewarding new [...]

In transformation, as in virtually every human activity, persistence is often the difference between success and failure. If we do not persist, we “give up,” and those who give up are no longer assuming responsibility for the situation. To a greater or lesser degree, they become alienated. Alienation is not conducive to the growth of [...]