Don’t Be a “Tool.”

No matter what your title in an organization, you are accountable to someone - the board, the boss, or the customer.

When working with those individuals, would you rather be an “implementer” or a “partner”? Whatever your formal role in your organization, you can become a partner. Instead of being a tool for getting things done, you can become a strategic voice for what gets done. That’s one of the fundamental assumptions of Influence Coaching.

This is especially important today, with ever-increasing burnout rates. People become disengaged and depressed when they feel like their decisions don’t matter. The same happens when they feel they have little control over their personal lives. They also burn out in their professional lives. If you are a chronic “implementer” who uses “accommodation” as your main approach to getting along, you are at risk. This is especially true if you have nice-guy-itus.

The good news: you have other options.

Instead of being an implementer, it is possible to be a true partner at work. Ira Chaleff calls these individuals “courageous followers.” Don’t be misled by the word “follower.” These are intentional influencers. They are a different kind of leader.

These individuals have the courage to speak up for their leaders when needed, and they have the courage to speak up to their leaders when needed.

You can become a partner who is a “courageous follower.”

The fundamental behaviors of a partner focus on providing both support and challenge for their leaders. Support is about providing resources the leader needs for both their success and the success of the organization. Challenge is about speaking up to the leader. It’s the ability to give feedback, hold up a mirror, and to help the leader keep their eyes on the prize.

Here is how to do that:

• Focus on the purpose of the organization - all supporting and challenging behaviors are a means to support that purpose. When your boss is on track with that purpose, give them everything they need. And when they are off track, speak up.

• Before you can speak up, you must build trust. If the leader doesn't trust you, your great intentions and impressive skill set don't matter. Trust is based on consistency over time. The more you bring both character and competence to the job, day after day, the more trust you will build.

• Appeal to the leader’s self-interest. Our brains pay attention to the information that we perceive to be relevant to our survival.

• Be sure to use the two sentences that transform conflict to collaboration.

This can be scary stuff. There is a reason it’s called courageous followership. Sometimes it means you will take a hit from those whose real agenda is different from the organization's purpose. When that hit comes from colleagues, it hurts. When it comes from the boss, it REALLY hurts. Sometimes that means you have to move on to a different organization. In that case, find one that values partners rather than implementers.

Additional Resources

• Read Ira Chaleff’s The Courageous Follower.

• Read Ira Chaleff’s Intelligent Disobedience.

• See my chapter of Followership in Ethical Leadership: A Primer.

• Contact me for a free assessment to measure your support and challenge behaviors.