Robert Kelley\u2019s article \u201cIn Praise of Followers\u201d discusses the qualities a good follower has, specifically in a business setting. What I struggled with most in reading this article is that in a way, the best followers are good leaders. Their commitment to play their role to the best of their ability motivates their colleagues, and their bosses trust them to delegate responsibility.<\/p>\n
In high school, I read a book called Good to Great <\/em>by Jim Collins for a capitalism class. In this book, Collins points out that in order for a business to go from good to great, you need to get \u201cthe right people on the bus.\u201d Collins\u2019 beliefs are in line with Kelley\u2019s in that followers are just as, if not more important than the leaders, and the followers Collins describes fit the same description as Kelley\u2019s \u201ceffective followers.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing that surprised me in this article was how different followers could have different motivations. Kelley writes how some followers fully embrace the role of a follower, and find virtue in this role. They recognize that being someone has to be a team player, and they take satisfaction in \u201chelping further a cause, an idea, a product, a service, or\u2026a person.\u201d This motivation can be categorized as intrinsic. Kelley then argues that being motivated by extrinsic forces like moving up the totem pole of a company are just as valid. At first, I found these extrinsic motivators to be less intrinsic, but I realized this evaluation was unfair. If a person has ambition to move up in the company, they won\u2019t be able to do that by trying outshine coworkers at point possible. They way someone moves up is by doing everything right with 100% effort. In other words, being an effective follower is the best way to move up in a company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Robert Kelley\u2019s article \u201cIn Praise of Followers\u201d discusses the qualities a good follower has, specifically in a business setting. What I struggled with most in…<\/p>\n