The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge * March 2004 143
Great Leaders Teach Exemplary Followership and Serve As
Servant Leaders

Dr. Michael Ba Banutu-Gomez, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ


ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the impact of exemplary follower and servant leader. Thus it examined their
relationship and the roles they play in the creation of the “Learning Organization” of the future. The first part of this
framework addressed the process of a good follower. This process include leaders alienating followers, leaders face
problems in teaching leadership, skills of exemplary followers, exemplary followers and team, organizations of the
future, leaders transforming people and leaders measured by the quality of their followers. The second part of the
paper deals with servant leader. Thus its process include servant leaders elicit trust in followers, modern western
societies, community provide love for humans, business organizations are expected to serve and modern
organizations searching for new mission. Together, the two frameworks provide insights and guidelines for
managers and leaders in leading organizations of the future.

EXEMPLARY FOLLOWERSHIP

To succeed, leaders must teach their followers not only how to lead: leadership, but more importantly, how
to be a good follower: followership. Contrary to popular negative ideas regarding what it means to be a follower,
positive followership requires several important skills, such as, the ability to perform independent, critical thinking,
give and receive constructive criticism and to be innovative and creative. Furthermore, we believe that Great Leader
is a process that can be learned, that is not restricted to a few “chosen or special” individuals that are born with an
unusual capability or skill. Though, some seem to have more to learn than others do, but the potential for exemplary
follower seems to be universal. Through solicited comments and regular participation, employees shared ownership
in determining policies at work (Gilbert & Ivancevich, 2000). Being a follower has a negative connotation because it
is usually used to refer to someone who must constantly be told what to do. Regardless of work unit
individualism/collectivism, supervisors were more likely to form trusting, high-commitment relationships with
subordinates who were similar to them in personality (Schaubroek & Lam, 2002). Most people think of a good
follower as someone who can take direction without challenging their leader. In contrast to this definition,
exemplary followers take initiative without being prompted, assume ownership of problems, and participate actively
in decision-making. Not only can creative contribution be valuable to a firm, but the ability to come up with unique
yet appropriate ideas and solutions can be an important advantage for individuals as well (Perry-Smith & Shalley,
2003). They distinguish themselves from ordinary followers by being “self-starters” going above and beyond what
people expect of them (Kelley, 1992).

LEADERS ALIENATING FOLLOWERS

All leaders have at least one follower who has become alienated in relation to authority. This person
usually thinks they are right and exhibits a hypercritical attitude toward authority figures. Their hostile feelings
toward leaders are often the result of unmet expectations and broken trust. If these experiences turn us off, they
shape our subsequent response to the culture. For example, too much certainty leads to complacency and not enough
predictability can result in alienating workers. A leader’s actions, therefore, can create either alienated or committed
workers (Fairholm & Fairholm, G, 2000). They may be people who were not recognized for their contributions in
the past. An outstanding advantage of recognition, including praise, as a motivator is that it is no cost or low cost,
yet powerful. Recognition thus has an enormous return on investment in comparison to cash bonus (Dubrin, 2001).
Leaders must first confront the hostility expressed by alienated followers in order to replace it with something more
positive. To address the complaints of an alienated follower, a leader must confront the perceived inequality and re-
establish trust. If goals have diverged, an overarching goal, which both leader and followers accept must be found.
When this has been accomplished, leaders can continue to work with alienated followers to help them accept that
setbacks are part of reaching any goal. Consequently, people understand each other, they share the same concepts,
and they have the same vision (Deneire & Segalla, 2002). Leaders need to remind followers that if you belong to a
community or organization, you have a responsibility to contribute to making it better for everyone, not just
yourself. This is why the leader is required to go beyond reminding followers and instead lead by example. In other

The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge * March 2004 144
words, leaders must help their followers relinquish a typically Western credo: “I am free to do whatever I want, so
long as it does not harm anyone”, and substitute instead, “I am free to do whatever I want, so long as it benefits
more than just myself”. Leaders must convince their alienated followers that they want to achieve more than just a
mutually satisfactory resolution of past grievances, rather, a mutual acceptance, understanding and appreciation of a
shared dream or goal (Kelley, 1992).

Exhibit 1 / Exemplary Followership Model







































Exhibit 1 a representation of Great Leader model brought together in an organized framework with
exemplary followership at the core. The logic is that each Great Leader component is of central importance to the
development of exemplary followers system within each employee in the organization or community. The potential
payoffs include increased employee or citizen performance and innovation flowing from enhanced commitment,
motivation, and employee or citizen capability. Thus, it seems clear that an essential ingredient to Great Leader is
boundless optimism about the potential of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things in the world.

LEADERS FACE PROBLEM(S) IN TEACHING LEADERSHIP

The problem leaders face, in trying to teach leadership to their followers, is that many people actually find
freedom terrifying because it poses too many choices and too much uncertainty. Thus, knowledge transfers take
place more efficiently when an activity is internalized because a shared culture and language help firm members
transfer and combine knowledge to develop organizational capabilities (Coff, 2003). People need structure, order
and predictability. Being given too much freedom makes people feel powerless and afraid so they often turn to
anyone, usually a dictator, who offers to remove from them the burden of responsibility which freedom brings. The
reality is, the world is far too complex for leaders, alone, to coordinate it. In times of stability, conformity may be
Leaders alienating
followers
Leaders face
problems in teaching
leadership
Skills of
exemplary
followers
Position to see the
big picture
Organizations of
the future Leaders
transforming
people
Leaders measured by
the quality of their
followers
Exemplary
followers and team
Exemplary
Followership