Followership: the forgotten part of member led tours?

I think all Eagles should read this.

Whilst reading it, I couldn't help being reminded of good followers, bad followers, and, in situations where I was not  the leader, where I have been a good follower, and also, I have to admit, occasions where I have been a bad one.

It will make us all think of our interactions on a tour.

A leader's lament as he, belatedly , finds the art of following ain't that easy.

Phils interesting link says (inter alia) "followership is the act or condition of following a leader, largely by people in subordinate positions to those in senior ones. It is not subservience or passive obedience to orders but a process whereby followers engage constructively in critical thinking and interact with and support the leader to help achieve a task. Good followers are accountable for their actions. They can also influence and mould the leader’s views; and when necessary they can even substitute for the leader.

Followers who are not engaged with their organisation or task and do not apply independent critical thinking can be defined as passive followers (fig 1 ). These people need constant motivation and direction and, consequently, can be a drain on the leader and the team. People who support the task and are motivated but do not critically appraise what they are doing are conformist followers. They will always support the team leader and may work hard, but they do not consider alternative options and may not make decisions without guidance from the leader."

I have started to work on being a good follower  thinking that i ought to investigate, practice and  learn it, as my days of leading might be  drawing to  a close. The initial feeling, after two tours is that my apprehension that it might not be as easy as leading, has been well .. confirmed. 

Following seems to require a substantial amount of modesty, patience, obedience and willingness to accept a role which is frankly less fulfilling, less glamorous, physically harder, (involves keeping pace)  and  (occasionally) eing roped up like a convivict. Plus having sometimes to accept not only decisions but also general strategies one might not have pursued oneself - is skiing the less fluffy aspect, route finding, when to turn back, not being able to stop when not coping, not being able to go slow when one wanted, take photos or piss. Maybe i am not yet fully in touch with the joys of active followership, for the moment I miss the wonderful feeling of being free in the mountains. and the pleasure one gets from fostering good team dynamics, a teams happiness when we work together and find unexpected good snow, or summit in style.

I guess i could - in fact i will have to get to like it -  but to be honest following would be easier ,  nicer and i might enjoy it more if i had a leader a bit more like .... well ..... OK ....  me! 

Happy days.

Very interesting Phil,

I have in my time, heard tour leaders mutter "its like trying to herd cats" - so a useful opportiunity for us all to reflect on our feline behaviour!

Declan

I loved this article. It seemed to sum up the issues with leading peer groups very well.

Steve Gould.... you missed out the best 2 types of follower in your summary  as below. 

" the exemplary follower will apply constructive critical thinking and interact with the group and the leader. If exemplary followers agree with the current course of action, they will back the leader all the way. Alternatively, if they disagree, they will challenge the leader, offering constructive alternatives to help the leader and the organisation achieve their aims. Pragmatic followers will move between the various styles during a task."

Surely if you are an exemplary follower there will be enough communication (if your leader is listening) so that the better line is being discussed before you descend.  It is definitely a two way process...we talked alot at the leaders meet about the need to involve our team.....and this is about active involvement from the other end. A good and flexible leader will also be a good follower, I would hope!

Catherine