Four Needs Of Followers – A Reflection
By Dave Hyem. (Thank you Dave.)
I really enjoyed reading Oscar’s recent post about the four needs of followers. Gallup extensively studied several thousand surveys of people working in multiple settings across many industries both private and public. As a reminder the four needs are:
Hope,
Trust,
Compassion and
Stability.
The Gallup research and post prompted me to reflect on my lived experiences both as a leader and a follower. I spent most of my career in a leadership role first with small teams of 15 to 20 and ultimately with large teams of several thousand. During this time I was working as a leader and as a follower (as I always had a boss!)
I am convinced a leader’s responsibility is to create a thriving environment for their followers. It is foundational to the success and well-being of both individuals and the larger group. These four needs defined by Gallup resonated well with me. When met they not only foster a healthy organizational culture but also empower individuals to perform at their best, feel supported, and develop a sense of purpose. I’m convinced likewise that it benefits the overall health of the individual and their community as it is common for stress at work to translate to stress at home.
There is a big opportunity for leaders to understand these needs and develop skills to improve their ability to provide for their teams. I have experienced many leaders who do not consider this and take a more command-and-control approach with their employees – apparently a lot easier in the short term. They believe they have followers because the organization chart shows them to be ‘in charge’. I don’t view this to be a condition of a leader with followers. Followers choose to follow when the environment they are in is taking care of their basic needs. With such command-and-control leaders, I wonder what the followers are really doing when the leader ‘in charge’ is not around.
The concept of these needs is straightforward, but the proficiency in nurturing them is often lacking in practice. Leaders are generally not taught these skills when they are promoted. Most times they must figure this out as they go. The good news is these skills can be taught. A leader does not have to be born with this ability. There are everyday habits a leader can learn that will help them create this environment for their teams. There are foundations of good relationships that when practiced well will strengthen the work environment and there are problem handling routines that guide the handling of people related problems in an effective way. I have observed significant improvements in leaders that apply themselves to learning these skills, most of all myself.
Most of us will find ourselves as leaders and followers - both creating the environment for our teams to thrive and living in an environment our leaders create for us. I encourage you to give this some thought. There are great resources out there to develop these skills. We owe it to our teams and society at large to strengthen these skills.