A Followers Four Basic Needs

While it is important to be a leader, it is also important to realize that sometimes we are followers. As a follower we need to realize what the four basic needs are. If we are aware of the needs we have as a follower, we will be more productive and the team work will flow more smoothly. In the book Strength Based Leadership they say that trust, compassion, stability, and hope are the four basic needs of followers.

In an article called Leadership: Followers Four Basic Needs, the writer questions whether he is providing these needs to others. It is very important to trust your leader. If there is a team that does not trust the leader or a team where they do not know each other well, the team will not work as efficiently and will work at a slower speed. Once a team has built trust, they will soon gain honesty, integrity  and respect for both the team and the individuals. For people to be engaged in their work, they want the leader to feel compassion for them. They do not just want a compassionate leader, they want a positive workplace environment. The third and in my opinion the most important need is stability. In and interview with the writers of Strength Based Leadership, the Gallup Business Journal asks how a leader can provide stability. They go on to explain that at a basic level people want and need to have at least a belief in job security. If leaders are constantly think about how they are creating security and stability then the followers will feel stability within the team. The fourth and last need that followers have is they want hope. When leaders give followers a sense that the future will be more successful than the present, people will feel more motivation to work. Hope gives workers the motivation to be more successful and work harder to reach a goal.

As a leader and occasional follower, we should be aware of these four needs. If we are aware of these needs we can be more successful and efficient. These four needs will help us become better followers and in turn better leaders. Knowing these four needs not only helps us know what we need as followers, but can also help us as leaders. As a leader it is important to be sure to show your followers these needs. I hope that this gives us a new light upon how to be a good leader and an effective follower. 

Workplace Complaints

Working in agriculture is a very important job that deals with people either directly or indirectly. Many agricultural jobs such as extension or education deals directly with people. Other jobs such as beef producers may be more indirectly related to people. Whether or not these jobs directly or indirectly with people people that have these jobs must be able to correctly handle workplace complaints. This picture from
Cartoon Stock makes fun of the fact that people will complain about anything.

Many people in the agriculture industry have problems handling issues because they are unsure how to handle complaints. According to Management Issues managers will face the problem of people asking them to fix problems that they may not be able to fix. Management issues gives several suggestions on how to deal with complaints. First you should be aware of privacy and confidentiality for both you and the person with the complaint. Secondly you should set boundaries, if the person passes those boundaries then you should refer them to another person who could help them.  Another source that gives good advice on how to handle conflict is The Art of Leadership. This book gives several bullet points which include keep calm, listen patiently without interrupting, accept their point of view, ask questions, fully discuss solutions, reach closure, and follow through.

By following these rules, agriculture manager can  address complaints and follow through to find a solution to the issue. With courses in leadership and classes on how to properly deal with conflict managers can make the work place a better environment. Workers that are happy and without conflict are more productive and easier to manage. 

Values of the Workplace

Being a leader in today's society is especially difficult in the workplace. Working with people who have the same values makes being a leader easy but if you work with others that have different values it makes things difficult. I work in Newman Library with ten other students. Many days there is only one supervisor for all ten students with the students out numbering the supervisor it is hard for the supervisor to watch all ten people at once. Occasionally other students will sit down and eat lunch while still clocked in or they will take breaks when they are supposed to be completing a project. Growing up my parents raised me to always do a good job and respect your boss. Taking time to eat while still clocked in does not seem respectful to me yet others I work with see no problem.  

Working with others different values can be difficult. To learn to better understand others with different values we must first figure out what values are most important in the workplace. The Art of Leadership lists the five values that are mentioned the most often in an American workplace. Honesty, respect, service, excellence, and integrity are listed as the five most important values. If people are taking breaks when they are not supposed to then they are not being honest with their bosses nor are they respecting the company. While this may not bother some people it will make others uncomfortable and leave them in a position where they do not see eye to eye with their neighbors. The list below by Leading Answers was used as a research project for the book The Leadership Challenge. 

Learning to work with people who have different values may seem difficult but in article called "Generational Diversity in the Workplace", by Jamie Notter, it mentions that different generations have a different set of values. For example someone born in 1940 by think the most important values are dedication and sacrifice. While someone born in 1980 may think the most important values are diversity and thinking globally are the two most important values. Knowing this I feel that to work well with other who have different values it is important to remember their values while not the same as yours may not be wrong. Remember that everyone has a different set of values it is easier to work with others. 

Passing the Leadership Torch

 Every year our church goes to Savannah Georgia on a mission trip to work with inner city children Over the past two years I have helped my pastor teach a class of middle school age children. . One of the biggest challenges we face is how to teach these children to become leaders and instead of followers. Year after year I watch our pastor treat these children with respect that no one else gives them. In The Art of Leadership Willie Davis talks about what made Lombardi a great leader. Some of these qualities are the qualities that my pastor shows these children.

The first thing my pastor and members of our church do is show the children that we care. We show them that we care my learning their names and listening when they talk. The second thing my pastor does is to work hard to gain their trust. These children do not trust people easily so gaining their trust may take all week. Once these children realize that we care and they can trust us they confide in us with their problems. They think that we have all the answers to their problems and ask us how they can help us. Believing in the kids is an important factor that affects the entire week. If we believe in them they learn that they can relax and just worry about having fun. Keeping the bar high is also important with these children; most of these children do not set the standards high if you set the bar high when you expect things from them they come to realize they can have high standards for themselves. Meeting people and keeping in contact with them helps maintain a relationship with them.

This picture found online portrays some of the qualities are that we are teaching the children that are important leadership qualities. 

After six years of working with these children and trying to teach them how to be leaders, these children have become leaders themselves.  These children who once were only followers have become Transformational Leadership. They think of others before themselves and now they think of how they younger children watch and mimic them. Living in poverty these children grow up thinking they will always be living in poverty but once these children have learned they can be leaders they are questioning how they can grow up and move out of poverty.

Teaching children to become leaders is helpful for their life because they can set goals and dreams. They also can teach others to become leaders and will not just follow a crowd. 

Small Town Leaders

What? 

I grew up in Chatham, Virginia. A small, quiet town where leaders are the people that the town looks up to and trusts. Until recently, people in Chatham have lived their entire lives letting others tell them what is best for the town. Virginia Uranium is trying to mine near Chatham; many of the residents are encouraging this idea. Many of the elder residents are not happy with the idea of a company mining so close to their home. What does a town do when its leaders are encouraging something they believe should not happen? How do they express their opinions when they have relied upon others to lead for so long? What qualities will a person need to become a leader?


So What?

Before those opposing the mining can begin to protest, they must first have a leader. What qualities will this leader need? Many qualities, such as the ability to communicate and listen, are valued when it comes to leadership. The chart below, found at Leadership Freak, illustrates eight qualities that people voted on as most important.

This chart is interesting, in that the people voting thought character was much more important than courage. After deciding what qualities a new leader should have, they must decide who can be a leader. According to The Art of Leadership there are three types of leaders: teachers, heroes, and rulers. After reading this we assume anyone can be a leader if they just choose to take the lead.

Now What?

Now that the people have realized they can all be leaders, they can express their own opinions. As I watch everyone learning that they are leaders, I have come to realize that it does not take a class on leadership to be a leader. Classes can help you become a more efficient leader, but really becoming a leader is inside a person.