By John Ekundayo
In a quick response, albeit casting aside deep reflection and reasoning, some readers with a tingling of inner irritation, annoyance or bitterness, will want to rebuff, reject or react to the topic of this week’s edition of the Followership Challenge. It was American editor and publicist, Merle Crowell, who opined a seemingly accepted perspective on the complex and complicated leader-follower dynamics by declaring: “It is the men behind who make the man ahead.” This is somewhat and seemingly controversial. In a polity, there exists followership typologies; the dominant kind, surely, dictates or directs how the polity’s policy, planning, programmes, and projects will succeed. Hence, followership needs to be studied to ensure both organizational and political success. One can ask, what will be the effect within a polity when the dominant type of followers is ineffective, docile, passive, alienated, or conforming? For now, let us leave answering the question till later in this write-up.
One scholar who was much concerned about the legacy of toxicity to be bequeathed on the followers’ psyche as a result of voting incompetent and epileptic leaders into the position of power is Prof Darren Dalcher. Stating it succinctly in his own words: “Over the years, many of us must have looked at our own bosses and wondered how they ever became leaders. We all recognize the profile; bereft of strategic thinking, … unable to see the horizon of opportunities, … incapable of inspiring others, lacking a vision, unable to consider consequences and options, incapable of making informed decisions, uncaring and ignorant of how to engage with and motivate followers. Poor leaders deliver a toxic long-term legacy, which affects team members and followers, and ultimately, impacts the bottom line of the organization, team or unit.” Dissecting this stand and stake of Dalcher with deep reflection, do we not deserve the leaders we get within Nigeria’s context? Poor leaders are prone to delivering toxic long-term legacy to the followers in organizations and polities.
In the same vein, another management scholar takes it further. Laurence Peter was categorical in stating that people rise to the level of their incompetence. This is known as the Peter Principle. In essence, one may saliently and succinctly surmise that bad leaders beget bad followers! Personally, as a followership scholar, within the context of Nigeria, this is hitting the bull’s eye. Essentially, the principle suggests that people rise, are promoted, appointed, or elected to their level of incompetence. This seeming culture of incompetency is passed down the line of followers, over some time. The result is: like leaders, like followers! The implication of this on the polity and organization is that incompetency, over time, is passed down the line and many followers become alienated, conforming, ineffective, and passive resulting in poor organizational outcomes or governance.
Cerebral columnist, Simon Kolawole, in his column article in the ThisDay newspaper, published in November 2016, corroborated my stand and stake, albeit, in part that followers, the ordinary Nigerians, are to be blamed for the bad governance pervading our country. He went further to buttress his argument by quoting George Orwell, legendary author, and journalist who declared that “A people that elect corrupt politicians, impostors, thieves, and traitors are not victims but accomplices”. To Kolawole, when many of Nigeria’s followers acquiesced to collecting money, bags of rice, vegetable oil, etc. before deciding to vote in elections, then, we need not expect good governance. He put it simply and squarely, “In sum, people get the leaders they deserve.”
In order to get it right, there is a dire disposition in the organizations to recognize followership enlightenment and education much the same way as leadership training is conducted. In addition, political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct, frequently and regularly, followership capacity-building sessions so as to get more effective and exemplary followers within our context. There should be an establishment of a reward mechanism for key exemplary mannerism of followers in both organizations and polity.
It is the common belief of scholars and practitioners of followership that there is 80% of followers in virtually every organization while a fraction of 20% is in top leadership positions. However, it has been discovered that, inversely, 80% of the resources are expended on leaders, leadership learning, planning, succession, and development while a paltry 20%, being the remnant, is utilized on followers’ development. Absent in the expending of this meager 20% is genuine and germane interventions that will raise the levels of followers so that they can become more sharpened and sparkling to deliver as effective and exemplary in color, content, and context.
Conclusively, since better leaders beget better followers, and exemplary followers are direly missing within our clime and context, we need to value followers and develop them into effective and exemplary followers through value orientation, education, enlightenment, and reward system. This type of followers will, over time, engage the organization and polity in independent thinking and sometimes speaking truth to power, making the leaders shape up or ship out! It is then and only then one can agree with the legendary leadership scholar, Warren Bennis, who once saliently stated that, “If I had to reduce the responsibilities of a follower to a single rule, it would be to speak truth to power.” Hitherto, in the context of Nigeria, we have few courageous followers in the likes of Femi Falana, Niyi Osundare, Wole Soyinka, Sunday Adeyemo (alias Sunday Igboho), Oby Ezekwesili, etc., speaking truth to power. It is high time more effective, courageous, and exemplary followers arose to engage leaders and possibly stem and stifle bad leadership in organizations and polity. No sitting on the fence. No “siddon look” (apology to the late Cicero of Ibadan, Chief Bola Ige, of blessed memory)
- Dr. Ekundayo, J. M. O., can be reached via 08155262360 (SMS only) and drjmoekundayo@hotmail.com
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