Stephen Caldwell and Michael Brown. Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell

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1 Stephen Caldwell and Michael Brown Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell 1

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3 Table of Contents Overview... 5 How to Use this Guide... 7 Section 1: The Philosophy of Followship... 8 Reality Check... 8 Follower s Perspective... 9 Follower s Action Followship Challenge Reminder Section 2: Communication as a Follower Reality Check Follower s Perspective Follower s Action Followship Challenge Reminder Section 3: Growing as a Follower Reality Check Follower s Perspective Follower s Action Followship Challenge Reminder Section 4: Satisfaction as a Follower Reality Check Follower s Perspective Follower s Action Followship Challenge Reminder Meet the followship team Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell 3

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5 Overview It s often pointed out that everyone in an organization is a leader. That s true. As author Mark Sanborn put it, you don t need a title to be a leader. But everyone from the bottom of the org chart to the top is also a follower. Not in the go-along-to-get-along sense. We aren t the proverbial lemmings, mindlessly following the pack off a cliff. But we all have a boss. We all answer to someone often to multiple someones. Our team. Our manager. Our director. Our VP. Our CEO. Our board. Our shareholders. Our customers. We are all followers. That s not always a popular notion. We live and work in a culture that simultaneously values individualism and collaboration. We want to work with others, but we also want to have a voice. We want to chart our own course. We want to do our own thing. The result? Followship can seem like an outdated concept. It s not. In fact, followship is making a comeback. It complements and supports modern workforce ideals, while providing some muchneeded guardrails to keep us out of the ditch of selfabsorption. Here s how we define followship: A mindset that drives our actions to communicate, grow, and find satisfaction in helping others succeed. Followship is a unique approach to our work because it recognizes the importance of execution in the business world. If everyone is giving orders, casting vision, and setting objectives, not much is getting done. Organizations need followers at all levels who serve other leaders and other stakeholders by living and working as servant leaders. That s what you need around you. And that s what your organization needs from you. Good followers know how to serve the people around them by getting things done, by working well with others, by having a good attitude, by setting a good example for others, by growing their skillsets, by offering their opinions and by making a positive difference. They aren t just another cog in a machine. They are servant leaders serving leaders. So, you might be asking yourself why you re investing your time and energy in this training and what you ll learn from it in other words, WIIFM? ( What s in it for me?) Glad you asked. Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell 5

6 First, there are several reasons why you might be assigned this training, but here are the three most common (and more than one might apply to you): 1. You are relatively new to your role and this is part of your onboarding training; it will help acclimate you to the people, the culture, and the organizational expectations. 2. You are on a team that s using this as a way to get to know each other and support each other better. 3. This is a way to enrich your working relationship with your supervisor and prepare you for future roles. As for what you ll get from it, well, as with most of life, that s largely up to you. But if you embrace the opportunity, you will learn how and why being a great follower is foundational to your path as a leader. We ve found the greatest value in this training comes from not only doing the work in this book, but by fully engaging in conversations about these topics with your peers and supervisor. That s where you ll gain greater insights and strengthen key relationships. The four sections in this training will teach you about 1) The Philosophy of Followship, 2) Communication as a Follower, 3) Growing as a Follower, and 4) Satisfaction as a Follower. You should walk away from this training better prepared than ever to serve others for the overall good of your team and your organization. You ll be a servant leader serving leaders. This course teaches you why building muscle as a follower will help you grow stronger as a leader, and how that will benefit both you and everyone around you. It s designed to be interactive and engaging, so you shouldn t get bored. You ll read a little. Reflect some. Watch a few videos. Answer some questions. And discuss what you re learning. After that, all that s left is to live it out. Followship is a mindset that drives our actions to communicate, grow, and find satisfaction in helping others succeed. Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell 6

7 How to Use this Guide There are four sections, and each section has four parts to work through. Reality Check provides a new way to look at the topic. Follower s Perspective provides a few tangible ways to think and view leadership. Follower s Action provides specific action steps that help you follow effectively. Followership Challenge provides a tangible goal to accomplish as you to live out what was learned. You will need access to the Internet to watch the videos and to read other online resources. There are places where you need to write answers to questions, but you ll also want to write notes to yourself along the way. Highlight things you agree with or that you would challenge. Make notes on things you want to do better or things you want to avoid. (Some people prefer to take notes and record answers in a journal.) After each section, schedule a 15-minute Followship Follow-up discussion with your supervisor to talk about what you ve learned. Complete this work at your own pace, with the goal of finishing the program within 30 days. Note: We recommend one session per week with a prescheduled meeting for the follow-ups. This can be a one-on-one with your supervisor or a small group meeting with a supervisor and several other employees who are working through this program. Servant Leaders. Serving Leaders. Copyright 2016 Michael Brown and Stephen Caldwell 7