The HR Professional: Courageous Follower and Leader

May 9, 2006

At first glance, the words “courageous” and “follower” do not seem to belong together. Our culture does not view being a follower with respect. Everyone must develop their leadership potential. Of course, developing leadership potential is good. But who will all these leaders lead? Followers, naturally. Therefore, as the other side of the same coin, followers also deserve respect. Lots of it if they perform their role well.

Yet Human Resource professionals typically have a stream of people coming into their offices complaining about things they will not say directly to their supervisors, managers and executives. HR professionals have a tendency to lend a practiced, sympathetic ear to those complaining, even if sometimes they want to scream “grow up!” But often this sympathy seems to encourage repeat visits to vent that further drain the HR professional’s time and patience . What other options exist?

Let’s start by examining a new model of followership. In this model followers do not primarily serve leaders. Rather, both leaders and followers serve a common purpose, each from their own roles. This gives both of them the responsibility for making good decisions, taking productive action and engaging the other in dialogue if they have concerns about the other’s actions.

How does the HR professional fit into the picture? Your role becomes creating the conditions in which this dialogue can successfully occur. In many cases this means that you will become a coach to the leader and the follower on how to productively engage the other. If anything, it takes more skill to coach the follower because of the understandable perception the follower has of the power differential between follower and leader.

Let’s examine how this might work. In comes Mary complaining that her supervisor is showing favoritism in vacation scheduling. If the HR professional volunteers to intercede on her behalf she is confirming the follower’s self-perception of powerlessness. The supervisor that she takes the complaint to will most likely resent that his employee didn’t first talk to him. So the relationship has been weakened. And the subordinate is primed to make additional treks to HR with more complaints.

Alternatively, the HR professional can sit Mary down and coach her on how to raise the issue productively with her supervisor. Coaching would include how to: • convey respect to the supervisor to minimize defensiveness • dispassionately present the data so the supervisor can evaluate it • present options that support the supervisor’s needs

Will this be successful? Maybe. Or maybe not and HR will have to intervene anyway. But the more that HR encourages courageous dialogue with supervisors the more it will foster true partnership between all levels of the organization.

Now how do these principles apply to HR itself? How many weeks go by when HR does not have to raise a sensitive issue with the CEO or with one or another VP? A common scenario is an executive pushing to approve a pay increase that violates the established salary structure. You need to explain to him the consequences if this were done: the potential for discrimination charges and work group discontent. But he has bottom line responsibility and you do not. In his mind, this makes his viewpoint more valid than yours. How do you present your case so that he takes it as seriously as he should?

First, you have to remind him that you are both trying to do the right thing for the Credit Union, each from your own role. You respect what he is trying to do as a professional and you need him to respect your role and responsibility. But rather than emphasize the value HR places on the equal application of established policy to all staff, you will get more cooperation by emphasizing what he values: in this case the bottom line. By adhering to salary ranges he will avoid unbudgeted upward pressures and perhaps avoid costly litigation to boot. Mastering how to frame upward feedback so it is well received is an essential skill of effective followership.

There are essentially two styles of followership that are generally healthy for one’s career. The first we call The Implementer style. This style emphasizes vigorous support for leaders, though low willingness to confront them about actions that may endanger the common purpose. While this style may hold less career risk, given HR’s unique responsibility it is not sufficient to serve the common purpose well. The second style we call The Partner Style. Like the Implementer Style, the Partner Style is very high in providing leaders with support. The difference is that it is also high in being prepared to speak truth to power when this is called for. HR professional must behave as full Partners to Credit Union executives and the CEO, even if they are not initially accepted as such. They soon will be if they are good at their jobs and are both courageous and tactful in the stances they take.

Gaining a strong appreciation for the characteristics and skills of courageous followership will strengthen the HR professional’s ability to build a culture that positions the Credit Union for orderly growth while maintaining the collegial spirit that is at the heart of the Credit Union movement. I encourage you to take advantage of the resources available to build partnerships between followers and leaders at all levels.

Ira Chaleff President Executive Coaching & Consulting Associations www.exe-coach.com

Ira Chaleff was a speaker at the 2006 CUNA HR/TD Council Summit in Washington DC.

Resources: The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders (2nd edition) by Ira Chaleff Courageous Followers, Courageous Leaders: New Relationships for Changing Times (CRM Films) The Power of Followership by Robert Kelley

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