Good Essay On The Relationship Between Follower Traits AND Values AND Leader Performance

The Relationship between Follower Traits and Values and Leader Performance:

Effective leadership depends on a number of factors mainly the characteristics of the leader and the characteristics of the followers combined with situational factors that affect the interaction between the leaders and their followers. The characteristics of the leader are very important in determining the effectiveness of the leadership they are going to provide to any organization or population since they directly influence an individual’s leadership style (Chong & Wolf, 2010). The leader is expected to provide direction for their followers. This is very important since it influences the direction the people following him will take. However, before people can agree to follow the direction set by the leader, they need to identify with the leader.
According to Chong & Wolf (2010), a leader must appear competent to his followers. Competency means that he is able to perform the duties entrusted to him. If the followers of a leader doubt the competency of the leader, they are likely not to follow the leader. Another very important characteristic of a leader is that they must demonstrate integrity (Lussier&Achua, 2015). A leader who demonstrates integrity is more likely to be a more effective leader. When a leader gives directions to employees or followers, he expects them to be followed. However, the leader must be seen to be the first person abiding by the rules or directions they have set. Integrity is important since it helps a leader gain the trust of his followers (Chong & Wolf, 2010).
A good leader has numerous traits, which include commitment, initiative, courage, creativity, and innovation (Lord, & Brown, 2003). In many situations, a leader will find themselves in a position where there is no clear solution to a problem. Even during these times, the followers of the leader expect the leader to come up with a solution to the problem. This requires the leader to possess the above-mentioned traits (Daft & Lane, 2008).
Despite a leader having good characteristics, it is important that followers be on the same page as the leader. This means that the characteristics of the leader have to be identifiable with their followers; which means that a leader and his followers will have many similar characteristics (Hollander, 2012). For example, if followers are corrupt, they will not identify with a leader who has integrity. This is attributed to the fact that some of the followers can become toxic to a leader. According to Bennis (2010), the followers characteristics are also important, since they ensure that a leader is a position to leads them to the right direction. For this reason, the characteristics and traits of a good leader are almost similar to the traits and characteristics of their followers. Leaders and followers having similar characteristics and traits mean that they are easily able to focus their efforts towards achieving a common goal (Daft & Lane, 2008). An important characteristic of followers is to be direct to their leaders. Although a follower might be viewed as a dissident, it is important for the follower to be direct to the leader. This acts to keep the leader in check. This is because the follower will have to do the actual work and is in a better position to judge the correctness of specific actions (Bennis, 2010).
In addition to traits and characteristics of leaders and their followers, numerous situational factors affect effective leadership. Among these situational factors are experience and age of the followers as well as the perception of leaders by the followers.
Experience and age of followers is very important in determine the effectiveness of leadership. There are two main categories of followers, the old and experienced, and the young and inexperienced (Lussier&Achua, 2015). Older followers are more likely to be more dependent on the leader. They value the position of the leader more than younger followers (Chong & Wolf, 2010). This means that older followers are more likely to follow the direction of the leader. They are also more set in their ways and are more likely to see the position of the leader as more permanent than younger followers are. More experienced followers are also likely to judge a leader based on their performance than inexperienced followers. More experienced followers are likely to have seen many leaders and therefore appreciate the challenges that come with a position. They are also likely to be able to identify incompetency in the part of the leader faster than inexperienced followers are. On the other hand, inexperienced followers are more likely to have unrealistic demands from their leaders (Chong & Wolf, 2010).
Negative perception by followers is one of the biggest challenges that a leader can face. This is attributable to the fact that follower’s perception of a leader is critical in ensuring an excellent leader-follower relationship (Chong & Wolf, 2010).Negative perception can be because of negative publicity or misunderstandings between the leader and his followers. For example, a leader may be a quiet person but the followers can mistake this for being insensitive or proud. A leader can overcome this by improving communication with his followers. For example, a leader can let the followers understand that he is a naturally quiet person by letting their actions speak for them.
Another challenge that a leader can face is dissidents among his followers. Although it is the responsibility of the followers to keep the leader in check, some followers might go about this in a negative way. Bennis (2010) indicates that such followers are toxic to a leader. It is a challenge for the leader to deal with such followers since they can affect other followers. Such followers are sometimes seen to be attacking the leader rather than the apparent problem. The leader can address this challenge by directly addressing the issues put forward by the concerned follower.

References:

Bennis, W. (2010). Art of followership. Leadership Excellence, 27(1), 3-4.
Chong, E., & Wolf, H. (2010). Factors influencing followers' perception of organisational leaders. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 31(5), 402-419.
Daft, R. L., & Lane, P. G. (2008). The leadership experience. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western.
Hollander, E. (2012). Inclusive leadership: The essential leader-follower relationship. London: Routledge.
Lord, R. G., & Brown, D. J. (2003). Leadership processes and follower self-identity. New York: Psychology Press.
Lussier, R., &Achua, C. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. New York: Cengage Learning.
Thornton, G. C., Byham, W. C., &Warr, P. (2013). Assessment Centers and Managerial Performance. Burlington: Elsevier Science.