FOLLOWERSHIP
Show me the way! I will follow until the end.
TL;DR: Understanding and embracing followership in the tech industry can unlock a new level of professional success. It's not just about being an innovative leader; being an effective follower is equally important. Followership fosters high-performing teams and significantly impacts personal career advancement. By integrating this concept into your approach, you'll align better with your team's goals, contribute more effectively to your projects, and bolster your growth as a software engineer. Discover the power of followership and how it can supercharge your tech career.
In the previous piece, we dove into the power of ownership, highlighting the drive to treat each project as your own, going beyond the basic task list to ensure the highest quality and value in your work. While ownership is a critical determinant of professional success, it's only one part of the equation. Another crucial factor for fostering successful team dynamics and individual growth is followership.
Picture an orchestra. Every musician, whether proficient with the violin, drum, or flute, is guided by the conductor's cues. They play their parts precisely and at the right time. The performance could falter if even a single musician strays from the conductor's lead. It's not solely about individual talent or practice - it's about harmony, synchronizing their efforts to create a beautiful symphony.
Consider also a Formula 1 (F1) team. Each member has a critical role, from the driver to the pit crew, the engineers, and the strategists. They adhere to a meticulously crafted strategy to win races. For example, if the pit crew maintains a low pit stop time, it could win the team the race. It's not just about individual skills or speed - it's about functioning as a cohesive unit, seamlessly integrating their efforts towards a shared goal.
In both scenarios, the group's success is based on the ability of the individuals to understand and embrace their roles within a larger context. This is where the concept of followership comes into play. Followership isn't about merely following rules or stifling creativity. Instead, it's about grasping the overarching goal, respecting the shared plan, and appreciating the importance of diligent work.
Followership is incredibly valuable in team settings. When everyone on the team aligns their actions with the shared plan, it enhances collective performance, reduces errors, and produces superior outcomes. It also fosters trust within the team, creating a sense of reliability that forms the foundation of high-performing teams.
In software engineering, followership functions as a silent yet powerful force. It bolsters efficiency and can catalyze career advancement. This article will delve deeper into followership, examining its crucial role in professional success and showing you how to harness its power to supercharge your career. So, let's buckle up for an insightful exploration into this important yet often overlooked aspect of professional achievement.
Ownership vs. Followership: Two Sides of the Same Coin
To truly grasp followership, it's vital to distinguish it from ownership. Both are essential for success, yet they represent different facets of professional accomplishment.
As we discussed earlier, ownership involves taking the initiative and demonstrating a deep commitment to the project's success. It's about viewing the project holistically, constantly striving to create value at every step, and treating it as your own. Ownership drives innovation, motivates self-improvement, and leads to the delivery of high-quality products.
Followership, on the other hand, is about recognizing and respecting the overarching plan or strategy. It's about understanding your role within a broader framework and executing it precisely. It's not about passive compliance or blind obedience but alignment with the shared goal and the discipline to adhere to strict guidelines. True followers comprehend the 'why' behind their tasks, respect the shared plan, and acknowledge the value of diligent, accurate work.
While ownership encourages you to exceed expectations, followership ensures you meet them consistently. A balance of both helps foster high-performing teams and successful projects.
Lessons from an Orchestra and an F1 Team
Consider ownership within the context of an orchestra. It might look like a musician's mastery of their instrument. Each violinist, drummer, or flutist owns their part, practicing relentlessly, continually improving their technique, and striving for perfection in every note they play. They're committed to their craft, treating their performance as their responsibility. Their excellence, fueled by this sense of ownership, dramatically contributes to the overall performance of the orchestra.
However, followership comes into play when these individual musicians start to play together, guided by the conductor's cues. They follow the rhythm, the pace, and the style as directed by the conductor, harmonizing their parts into a cohesive whole. Even with personal mastery of their instruments, the orchestra can only create a symphony through followership.
Now, take an F1 team as an example. The driver, akin to the musician owning their craft, takes ownership of driving the vehicle to the best of their ability. They learn every nuance of the track, continually hone their skills, and make split-second decisions during the race. This sense of ownership is crucial to their role.
Like in the orchestra, followership is equally crucial for an F1 team's success. The driver needs to follow the team's strategy, the pit crew's instructions, and the guidelines set by the team strategists. The pit crew must perfectly synchronize their tasks to achieve the best pit stop time. While mastering their roles, everyone also adheres to a well-crafted plan, contributing to the team's overall success.
In both these scenarios, ownership and followership are interdependent and equally critical. However, they represent different aspects of professional accomplishment, both essential for creating high-performing teams and successful projects.
Followership in Software Engineering
Picture yourself as a software engineer tasked with developing a new feature for a popular application. An average engineer might see this as just coding the feature, debugging it, and launching it on time. However, an engineer who embodies strong followership takes a different approach. First, they delve deep into the project's specifications to fully understand the feature's 'what' and 'why'. Then, they align their work with the project's goals and the user's needs, strictly adhering to the defined coding standards.
Engineers who exemplify followership meticulously follow the master plan, aligning their efforts with the team's and prioritizing quality. They appreciate thorough testing and code reviews to uphold the software's quality and integrity. They resist the temptation to overcomplicate or use unnecessary tech, understanding that such practices might introduce complexities or vulnerabilities. Their focus extends beyond merely completing the task, aiming instead to do it correctly, in line with the project's guidelines.
Followership in software engineering emphasizes precision, consistency, and alignment with a shared goal. When properly harnessed, it complements ownership, balancing individual initiative with team synchronization. This harmony can elevate your productivity and career. It's followership that turns functional software into outstanding products, exceeding user expectations and meeting business objectives. Understanding your broader role, perfecting it, and exceeding expectations when needed - that's the power of followership in software engineering.
The Value of Followership
Followership forms the cornerstone of successful projects and high-performing engineers. When you demonstrate followership, you refine the project beyond mere participation. You align your work with the project's requirements and goals, adhere to the plan without unnecessary deviations, and add value at each step. This results in superior products, satisfied users, and a thriving organization.
Moreover, followership fuels your personal growth. It instills discipline, attention to detail, and respect for guidelines. These qualities are invaluable in any professional setting and can help you excel.
To Lead, Learn To Follow
In my journey as a lead, I've discovered the importance of followership in effective leadership, particularly within the tech industry. Becoming a good follower was crucial in my transition into a leadership role. I've found that practicing followership extends beyond mere compliance. It involves embracing clear guidance, minimizing unnecessary deviations, and fostering creativity within the bounds of the project's specifications.
As I moved from being a follower to a leader, I experienced the transformative power of followership firsthand. This journey has helped me understand the key traits of effective leadership, earn my team's and superiors' respect, and develop a streamlined work ethic. Moreover, I've fostered a culture of trust and respect within my team by leading by example and adhering to our shared goals.
Good followership has significantly impacted my productivity, enabling me to channel my energy more effectively and concentrate on the established plan instead of unnecessary deviations. In addition, this practice has led to my consistently delivering quality software by my team and demonstrating the symbiotic relationship between followership and leadership. Thus, I've learned that to be a compelling leader, and one must first become a skilled follower.
Building Followership Skills
Developing followership is not an overnight transformation but a journey requiring commitment and discipline. The first step is understanding the 'why' behind your tasks and the value of adhering to the project's spec. This will allow you to see the bigger picture and appreciate the importance of followership.
You need to actively seek feedback and be open to learning from it. Treat each project as an opportunity to refine your followership skills. Be bold and ask questions or seek clarity on project specs. Remember, followership is not about blind compliance but understanding and aligning with the project's goals.
Promoting a Followership Culture
Organizations play a crucial role in fostering a culture of followership. By promoting transparency and communication, companies can ensure their engineers understand the project's goals and spec. Encouraging questions and providing precise, detailed specs can also help engineers appreciate the value of followership.
Recognition of followership is equally essential. By acknowledging and rewarding those who demonstrate strong followership skills, companies can show their engineers that this trait is valued and appreciated.
Balancing Followership and Initiative
While followership is crucial, it's essential to strike a balance. Following instructions should encourage creativity and initiative. Instead, engineers should feel empowered to propose innovative solutions within the framework of the project's guidelines. Again, it's about balancing alignment with the project's requirements and creative problem-solving.
Followership also shouldn't lead to over-reliance on instructions. Instead, engineers should use their judgment and initiative when necessary. If a specification seems unclear or unworkable, seeking clarification or proposing a viable alternative is essential.
Final Thoughts
Followership is a potent trait that can significantly enhance your effectiveness as a software engineer and accelerate your career growth. By adhering to project specifications and aligning your work with the project's goals, you can add value at every step, contributing to the success of your projects, team, and organization. The journey to develop followership requires effort and discipline, but the rewards are well worth it.
So, embrace followership, align your work with your project's goals, deliver high-quality code, and see your career soar. The path to a rewarding career in software engineering is paved with followership. It’s time to start. It’s time to follow!