Three of the core concepts of the courageous follower model are
these:
1. Followers do not serve leaders. Rather, leaders and followers
both serve the common purpose or mission, within a shared set of
values. This construct emphasizes service to the mission and
de-emphasizes the power differential inherent in hierarchical
relationships, without dismissing the reality of that
differential.
2. There are five sets of behaviors that comprise courageous
followership per the model:
- The courage to assume responsibility
- The courage to support the leader
- The courage to challenge unproductive behaviors or policies of
the leader
- The courage to participate in transformation
- The courage to take a moral stand
Of these, a dissertation by Phyllis Rich found that the courage
to assume responsibility is the followership behavior most valued
by leaders
The four styles of followership derived from the model depend on
the mixture of the courage to support and the courage to question
or challenge. A follower who exhibits both high support the
leader's initiatives and a high willingess to question or challenge
counterproductive behavior or policy, is assuming the "partner
style" of followership.
3. "Follower' is not a personality type. It is a role, and
everyone in organizational life sometimes plays the follower role,
and sometimes plays a leader role. Playing both roles with
commitment, courage and integrity is needed to produce a benign and
successful use of power.
Ira Chaleff
Author
The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders
www.courageousfollower.net
