Different looks at Leadership
I first looked at this book in relation to my NPO which is about empowering women to be able to advance their careers in the nonprofit sector. With that in mind, the first chapter of Leadership: Theory & Practice that caught my eye was the one on Gender and Leadership[1]. However, the chapter that resonated with me was on Servant Leadership because that has been where I naturally land. The descriptions by Peter Northouse, PhD, a professor who has taught and written about leadership for over 30 years[2], pulled me straight to chapter 10. Writing only about Servant Leadership would have, likely, been easier. The characteristics of listening, empathy, healing, awareness, foresight commitment to the growth of people and building community particularly resonate with me[3].
I also looked at my NPO and what lies ahead for the remainder of my career, I thought it best to broaden my knowledge base and learn more about some aspects of leadership and to see where they might intersect with my context. For this purposes of this post, I chose to explore the chapter on Followership with more intentionality.
If someone is a leader, then someone must be following. Northouse defines followership as a process where a person or group of people agree to accept the influence of another person or entity to accomplish a common goal[4]. As Northouse does with each chapter, he broke the concept into various categories, gave theoretical application described the strengths, weaknesses, and applications and then gave several case studies for review and discussion[5]. A key point in this chapter is that the followers are just as important as the leader. Followers can help influence decisions, they accomplish the things that need to get done, work in the best interests of the organization, and sometimes challenge a leader when necessary[6]
The example of leadership gone bad due to blindly following a leader rung close to home. I grew up in a family that watched Penn State football. Starting when our daughter attended the university and for over ten years after that, we would travel to State College with friends for our Penn State weekend. The pride for the school and Joe Paterno was clear no matter where anyone went on campus. The Paternos personally gave the money to build the library on campus. People were smitten with them. Yet, for years there was a travesty going on with a blind eye turned by Paterno, a number of coaches, administrators and even the president of the university. By blindly following the recommendation of Coach Paterno to put access restrictions on Jerry Sandusky rather than turn him into authorities the sacred trust that players and families put in the hands of the university was violated. This is a perfect example of follower/leadership gone wrong. The school was winning. Money was flowing. Was the Board of Trustees and President afraid of upsetting the status of the school? Were other students and faculty afraid to say anything for fear of retribution? There are questions that may never be answered.
Yet, the answer for my context is that the respect of the followers is very important. Listening to suggestions, empowering them to complete their work without micromanagement is a way that leadership can value the followers to better their organizations. Likewise, some of the problems in organizations come from followers who have psychological factors that may cause dysfunctional leadership such as needing constant reassurance from their leaders, needing to feel chosen or special to the leader, or are afraid of being ostracized by the leader, or living in fear of a bad leader[7].
So, what does this mean for an organization? It seems that continuing education for both the followers and leaders is important. It could empower followers to assert the knowledge they have thus making them possibly more comfortable sharing insights yet not threatened when given feedback that shows a need for growth in a particular area. I don’t know that Followship will consistently and consciously be added to my personal repertoire. Yet it is an area that deserves some attention. As I move ahead with my NPO, I do see me revisiting this book to see what resources it might offer for specific situations. It is worth emerging leaders to understand the role of the followers they may lead.
For now, I return to Servant Leadership which is defined by Robert Greenleaf as someone having the natural inclination to want to serve first. One of the primary results of servant leadership is that those being served grow as people to be healthier, wiser, and more autonomous with the possibility of someday becoming a servant leader themselves[8].
Sometimes I wonder if Servant Leadership can be taught or if it is intrinsically in someone’s make up. I don’t think Christians are the only people that live as a servant leader. However, in my situation, I think it is driven by a faith that has been part of my core for my entire life. While I am far from perfect, I do hope that the example of Jesus that I try to emulate makes the world a better place.
One final thought. Listening to Mack McLarty in DC[9], I was encouraged by his sharing that relationships building was how work gets done. That too is a form of leadership whenever both the leading and minority parties work together and all benefit. Yet I wonder, what would happen in DC if there was more servant leadership than posturing?
[1] Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory & Practice 9th ed. (Los Angeles, CA: SAGE, 2022), 394.
[2] Northouse, xxii.
[3] Northouse, 255-256.
[4] Northouse, 353.
[5] Northouse, Peter, Lisa Cuevas Shaw, “Peter Northouse discusses Leadership: Theory and Practice, Fifth Edition”, SAGE, September 1, 2010. youtube.com/watch?v=S3WfH0_Cb8. Marker 1:27.
SAGE publisher Lisa Cuevas Shaw commented that the consistent structure of each chapter in his book has been a wow factor for many programs choosing to use it.
[7] Northouse, 370.
[8] Northouse, 254.
[9] Mack McLarty, Speak at D.C. Advance for Portland Seminary Students, September 2024.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
3 responses to “Different looks at Leadership”
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Hi Diane, I, too, resigned from Servant Leadership. Looking to the needs of the followers (or those you are empowering) is vital for a servant leader. As you are nearing retirement and a new season in life, was there anything concerning followership you hope to apply personally to step away from formal leadership positions?
Hi Kari, Thanks for asking. I think the best thing I can do is continue to encourage and empower people. That looks different for each person but it’s important to know where those growth places are and give the employees opprtunities to stretch in those areas.
Hi Diane, We are Penn State! I, too, am a Nittany Lion. Thank you for highlighting Northouse’s thoughts on followership. I was intrigued by the negative impact on leadership that can come with followers constantly needing reassurance from the leader, feeling the need to be “chosen,” or being fearful. In your experience, have you quickly identified these unhealthy follower tendencies and implemented strategies to empower them to be more confident in their abilities? I can see how this could be a big problem in ministry settings and even secular nonprofit work.