HR research: 5 Attributes of a good follower
Yesterday, Workplace Tribes published an interview with HR consultant and Flipskills co-founder Marc Hurwitz.
What we didn’t mention was Marc’s frighteningly long list of academic credentials.
He has a BSc in Theoretical Physics, two Master of Science degrees(Nuclear Physics and Applied Mathematics), an MBA from Wilfred Laurier University(where he is a Finance Lecturer), and a PhD in Neuroscience(his thesis was called “Dynamic Judgments of Spatial Extent: Behavioural, Neural, and Computational Studies”).
Marc Hurwitz and Samantha Hurwitz
Clearly, Marc Hurwitz is a thought leader in a number of different fields. His HR specialty, though, is understanding the attributes of good followers.
Hurwitz believes that organizational success can be promoted by teaching employees to accept most corporate goals unconditionally, then pursuing them in the best way possible.
Marc and his partner Samantha’s 2009 paper “The romance of the follower: part 1” (published in the journal Industrial and Commerical Training), gives a clever anecdote that perfectly encapsulates this view of followership:
A manager wants to jump off of a cliff. A bad follower will either convince him not to do it, or follow him right off the edge to their mutual deaths. But a good follower will accept his goal, then get him some climbing equipment, or charter a bus, to make sure he gets to the bottom of the cliff safely.
What are the attributes of a good follower? This short list is adapted from Marc and Samantha’s research:
1. Keeps leader informed
It’s hard to lead if you don’t have a clear picture. Good followers acquire and aggregate information, so that leadership decisions are well-informed and grounded in facts.
2. Fights in private and keeps it private
Conflict is sometimes necessary. But when it causes lasting quarrels, or embarrasses people, it’s destructive. Good followers know how get down and dirty without causing a scene.
3. Willing to lead initiatives
Accepting, understanding, and realizing someone else’s vision is a key component of followership. A good follower can take an idea, and run with it from start to finish.
4. Generates ideas
Some leaders are "idea people," while others are "project people." A good follower has to be able to lead initiatives and generate ideas, so that both styles of leadership are successful.
5. Not a yes man
Honest criticism is almost always more useful than blind compliments and shameless flattery. A good follower knows when to say “no.”
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Source: Hurwitz, M., & Hurwitz, S. (2009). “The romance of the follower: part 1.” Industrial and Commerical Training 41(2). 80–86.
