HOW DO YOU FOLLOW AN UNADMIRABLE LEADER?
In the workplace, we often are confronted with the reality that our leader possesses qualities or traits that we don’t admire. These can be simply annoying habits or quirks, or they may be styles, traits, or approaches that fundamentally deviate from our own. Although others may tell you that you could always quit or work for someone else, doing so is not always an easy or wise choice. The question then becomes: How can you follow someone you do not admire?
In last week’s Assignment, you incorporated ideas into your presentation for following unadmirable leaders, or leaders with different styles from those of their followers. For this Discussion, consider an actual situation from your own professional career in which you worked for a leader whose leadership style was inconsistent with what you desired, or for a leader whom you did not admire.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Identify someone from your academic or professional career (past or present) who was an unadmirable leader. This should be someone you have worked with to some degree (i.e., a supervisor or team leader, rather than the CEO of a large corporation with whom you may have never directly interacted).
BY DAY 3
Post your analysis of the influence of personal traits on leadership and followership by including the following:
- Describe the leader in question and the situation in which you worked with them.
- Note: Do not identify the individual or the organization where they worked. If necessary, use fictitious names in your description.
- Identify specific traits that made the leader unadmirable or difficult to follow.
- Identify the effects of this individual’s leadership.
- Did the aspects that made them an unadmirable leader produce any negative consequences, whether for yourself, for another individual, or for the organization?
- If you were able to follow this individual, explain how you were able to do so.
