Canadian HR Reporter

STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK'S PANEL of thought leaders brings decades of experience from the senior ranks of Canada's business community. eir commentary puts HR management issues into context and looks at the practical implications of proposals and policies. CANADIAN HR REPORTER May 18, 2015 EXECUTIVE SERIES 11 www.scnetwork.ca Join our professional community of Canadian HR & Organizational Leaders: • Connecting @ monthly events • Collaborating with peers • Challenging conventional thinking The Power of Human Capital CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP FOR 35 YEARS Great Leaders GROW www.scnetwork.ca e other half of organizational effectiveness In their new book, Leadership is Half the Story, Marc and Samantha Hurwitz point out what has been hiding in plain sight: ere can be no leadership without fol- lowership. Further, they are challenging the leadership sacred cow — the idea that, somehow, being a leader is better than be- ing a follower. In their book and at a recent pre- sentation to the Strategic Capa- bility Network in Toronto, the pair stated: "Followership is a dis- tinct and equally valuable role to leadership." e Hurwitzes make a good case for understanding this per- spective and applying that under- standing for the benefit of indi- viduals and organizations. Critically, they identify that all members of an organization — from the CEO to the shop floor — play both roles, and there are distinct benefits to teasing apart the compe- tencies and behaviours of both. What does all this mean for organizational effectiveness? Plenty. From an OE perspective, the Hurwitzes' leadership/follower- ship revelations manifest in two ways: the manager/direct report relationship and the peer/peer inter-team or cross-functional relationship. ese are two places — and these are hiding in plain sight — where the rubber hits the road, where work gets done that is aligned toward the achievement of strategy. at work is the fundamental building block of an organization's effectiveness. If it's muddled, un- clear and fraught, then effective- ness is muddled, unclear and fraught. Clarity of expectations and behaviours is what is called for in those relationships; what pre- cisely are the authorities and accountabilities of each party involved? Between managers and direct reports, there are the universal au- thorities (also known as "rights") and accountabilities of all employ- ees, and the additional account- abilities and authorities particular to managers. Between peers, there are au- thorities (sanctioned by the man- agers of both parties) specific to the work being done. e mechanics of accountabil- ity systems go a long way toward ensuring clarity between roles: "Who has what authority to get something from whom, in which circumstances?" e result is an effective organi- zation where employees have the clarity they need to get work done effectively and efficiently. What Marc and Samantha Hurwitz have done is more pre- cisely define those relationships. Specifically, they have provided us with the means to understand following and leading are equal partners. at clarity about authority and accountability are only compo- nents of a relationship and not an exercise in stronger versus weak- er, dominance versus submission or more versus less. e Hurwitzes are removing that whiff of judgment from the relationship and focusing on the most effective means of achieving strategy. We have got to stop thinking about accountability and author- ity going up and down, and think instead of two roles adding value to each other. Marc and Samantha Hurwitz have taken the aging pyramid- shaped organization chart — which is very rusty now — and have gone and turned it on its side. Michael Clark is director of sales and marketing at Forrest & Company and a commentator on organizational ef- fectiveness for the Strategic Capability Network. Forrest is an organizational transformation firm, with more than 25 years' experience in developing the organizational and leadership capac- ity in organizations. Michael Clark Organizational Effectiveness We have got to stop thinking about accountability and authority going up and down, and think instead of two roles adding value to each other. Is being a good follower such a negative thing? Are you sometimes overwhelmed by yet another article or concept on what it takes to be a successful leader? When Samantha and Marc Hur- witz of FliP Skills asked if orga- nizations invest in leadership development, it's no surprise the response from the audience was a resounding "absolutely." However, when they asked if organizations invest in followership develop- ment, the typical response was "no." If we accept the adage "Leaders cannot lead without followers" then, by the same token, "Without any followers, leaders have noth- ing to lead," right? Which suggests there is a synergetic, collaborative and even interdependent relation- ship between being a leader and a follower. It would seem that, in real- ity, one cannot exist without the other. Both qualities essentially co-exist and together there is po- tentially no limit to what can be achieved. Would it be fair then to say that leaders believe they have follow- ers, whereas followers essentially have a choice as to whether or not to follow? And would you agree the traditional differentiation be- tween leadership and followership is normally represented as superi- or versus subordinate or manager versus employee? Such a portrayal, however, con- dones the notion leadership car- ries a level of superiority and pos- sibly reinforces the viewpoint that being a good follower can take on a negative implication. So the real opportunity with the Hurwitz's "followership" develop- ment proposal may be whether or not organizations want both leaders and followers to be active or passive, to be participants or observers. If it's active, then does it not fol- low that you want and need every- one to excel? If so, is there really any difference between the core characteristics for being a good leader versus a good follower? I would suggest not — with the emphasis on "core." If we take a flat organizational structure as an example, lead- ership roles will continue to be accountable for setting the vision, establishing the corporate goals and strategies, bringing together individual talents, providing clear direction and ensuring the right tools are available. However, would it not be to everyone's advantage to master common capabilities? For example: clear communi- cation, both written and verbal; accepting ownership for personal and team responsibilities; com- mitting to delivering the results; using discretionary judgment; demonstrating reliability, hones- ty and personal integrity; being a collaborative and competent team player; showing up with a positive and enthusiastic attitude; and be- ing both open and willing to re- ceive constructive feedback and create innovative solutions. When you think about it, whether you are a follower or leader, the core competencies may not be that different. For any employer consider- ing the idea of building a culture where everyone is expected to show up as both the leader or the follower, depending on the situa- tion, then unquestionably it will be mission-critical that everybody learns when to switch roles, how to do so skillfully and how to ap- preciate the win-win in aligning and accomplishing personal, team and organizational results regard- less of title. ere is clearly no room for blind obedience, ego or self-inter- est in the true duality of leadership and followership. Perhaps it's time to revisit the various hypotheses and research material on followership versus leadership that has been around since 1955. Is it time for your organization's leadership team to re-examine the concept of superior and subordi- nate from an entirely different standpoint? Are they prepared to revisit their beliefs behind the role of leadership, management and employee? To build a truly holistic cul- ture where leadership is expected from everyone — meaning up, down and sideways — perhaps the timing is right to rethink the co-existence of leadership and followership as a key competitive differentiator. Trish Maguire is a commentator for SCNetwork on leadership in action and founding principal of Synergyx Solutions in Nobleton, Ont., focused on high-potential leadership develop- ment coaching. She has held senior leadership roles in HR and OD in education, manufacturing and entre- preneurial firms. She can be reached at synergyx@sympatico.ca. Trish Maguire Leadership In Action ere is a synergetic, collaborative and even interdependent relationship between being a leader and a follower... one cannot exist without the other.

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