Effective followers are well-balanced and responsible adults who can succeed without strong leadership. Many followers believe they offer as much value to the organization as leaders do, especially in project or task-force situations.

Followers can be defined by their behavior—doing what others want them to do. But for the purposes of this article, and to avoid confusing what followers do with who they are, I define followers according to their rank: They are low in the hierarchy and have less power, authority, and influence than their superiors.

Why good followers are important, and 8 qualities good followers must possess

• Judgment. Followers must take direction, but not blindly.
• Work ethic. Good followers are good workers.
• Competence. In order to follow, followers must be competent.
• Honesty.
• Courage.
• Discretion.
• Loyalty.
• Ego management.

Kelley (1992) posited that there are five followership styles. These include exemplary, conformist, passive, alienated and pragmatist styles (Kelley, 1992).

Yet few people understand that to be a good leader, you first need to be a great follower. As Aristotle said, “He who cannot be a good follower, cannot be a good leader.” They judiciously choose who they follow and make followership part of their education.

It is hence essential to understand that leadership and followership is complementary to each other. A leader is no one without their followers and a follower is no one without a leader.

A good leader has to fully understand what it means to follow, to be what is perceived as the most insignificant part of the team, to bust his hump to accomplish a mission. A good follower possesses the qualities of good judgment, work ethic, competence, honesty, integrity, loyalty.

Good leaders often possess a combination of various “leadership qualities,” such as creativity, motivation, vision, and empathy. However, the most successful leaders are able to adapt to the needs of different situations, employing their diverse set of leadership skills in order to achieve their goals.

But if you ask followers what they need from leaders, the clear answer is trust, compassion, stability, and hope. These four basic needs are the result of Rath, Conchie, and a Gallup research team asking more than 10,000 followers what the most influential leaders contribute to their lives.

How great leaders inspire followership

1. Embrace the concept of servant leadership. Servant leadership is a concept that was introduced by Robert K.
2. Delegate strategically. Employees want to feel that they’re making meaningful contributions.
3. Listen deeply.
4. Give clear, specific recognition.
5. Build trust.

All truly inspiring people share two fundamental qualities: they believe in themselves and they believe in others. But they also share other critical traits that make those around them want to be better, reach further, leap higher. Here are six of the most important ones. They express positivity.

the capacity or willingness to follow a leader

It doesn’t just mean following directions or blindly accepting everything a leader says. Good followership is characterized by active participation in the pursuit of organizational goals. In many cases, this means working independently, being accountable for your actions, and taking ownership of necessary tasks.

They both actively seek responsibility and are proactive, versatile, and flexible in their problem-solving. While followers have a lot in common with Servant Leaders, their role differs in that while they should actively seek more responsibilities, they have fewer responsibilities than the leader.