sitemaster In my previous script, I observed that for a new leader to launch out successfully, he must first connect, then correct before he commands. I concluded that it is only in a herd-herder relationship, where mechanical leadership holds sway, that the leader can get results by correcting or commanding without first connecting.
I intend to address the followers today. The follower has a duty in ensuring the newly launched leader succeeds! Followers need to accept, access before they can assess the leader.
Leaders are humans with social and relational instincts. They need to overcome the 'status shock' as soon as they mount the saddle to lead. Followers play a huge role in stabilizing the leader who would in turn stabilize the ship conveying both the leader and the led. Followers must quickly 'forget' how the leader emerged and who he was before his new role. They must do this by casting off any ill disposition they have had and give the leader a chance! They must see him in regalia of his office not through the mirror of his person. When they do this, they have ACCEPTED the leader.
The next stage is to ACCESS the leader. It will be impossible for all members of an organization to have one- on-one contact with the leader sufficiently but they can tune on to his frequency. This is like accessing a transistor radio within the circumference of its reach. Doing this naturally collapses real and imagined barriers in the mood and mode of the leader. The result is in flawless transmission of information and translucence of attributes. This phase is critical because the more people access the leader, the more the leader's message is relayed through synapses of touch and speech, both within and outside his cycle of influence.
Lastly, the followers have the responsible task of ASSESSING or appraising the leader. This is mostly guided by conscience on the side of the assessor and should be objectively done against promises and prevailing circumstances. Assessment must be periodic to give room for large sample size or variables to sufficiently build up. This will eliminate bias, subjectivity and skewed conclusions. It must be done with the institution at heart and must target, to a larger extent, policies, principles and operations and to a lesser extent, the individual(s) in leadership. Objective appraisal may show positive and/or negative outcomes. Also, how we go about relaying the outcomes of our assessments matter a lot as some leaders could be overly sensitive to reject, rubbish or discountenance our sincere feedback. We must, like pundits, be generous with plaudits as we would with condemnations. Silence on either of these could spell serious doom to the leader and the institution.
In conclusion, for a leader to launch out successfully and land in safety with landmark achievements, the followers must show responsibility in accepting, accessing and assessing him.
