This is nothing new. There are a number of articles, and may web references referring to one or two of those articles. So mainly this is a collection of links to good articles.
One that can be my favorite is a Homily By Father James C. Meena. It comes from Word Magazine October 1984. http://almoutran.com/2011/03/466. After decades of time in the military, workforce, organizations, observance of certain "political" figures, and with certain family members, I have come up with some particular points that I like to see acknowledged. There is much dialog about (correct) lofty leadership ideals, such as
inspiring confidence, knowing clearly where the organization is going,
never losing sight of goals, etc.
But I have seen many persons in leadership or management positions basically due to the "Peter Principle"; there was a lot about that in the 1960's or so; there is much found on the web about it yet. Essentially it is that a person can impress and dazzle people in one context but not really have the ability or traits needed for the intended role. As people are promoted, they become progressively less-effective because good performance in one job does not guarantee similar performance in another. Or maybe it's simply that a person can dazzle as a worker and innovator but doesn't know beans about leadership.
I think a couple buzz words that could sum things up are "autocratic" and "authoritative" about some leaders who lead pretty much by virtual of position; "I am the boss" but there can be much more to a truly good leader.
The following paragraph area (from the URL at the start of this writing) scratches my particular itch well; it speaks of something that is sometimes missing.
A good leader is one who is slow to judge others, quick to evaluate and criticize himself in order that he might benefit from his own self analysis and improve himself constantly. A good leader is one who listens to constructive criticism and who hears honest complaints and evaluates them with good judgment in order that he might apply that which is positive and affirmative to the attainment of the goals to which he is dedicated. A good leader is one who remembers that without followers he has no one to lead; therefore, he shows respect for his followers.
Moving on, there is this article: https://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader.
The below except the italicized parts are some extracts
:
“[Good followers] support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader–having the courage to let the leader know when he or she is doing something wrong or headed in the wrong direction.”
When good followers encounter a co-worker with conflicting ideas or a disagreeable manager, they’re probably not going to fight every battle. Playing the part of the follower is easier, simpler, and often less risky. But being a good follower means having the courage to dissent if you think your leader, manager, or superior, is doing something wrong-headed. That’s not always easy, but it requires the guts and strength of conviction that are essential to good leadership.
In order to be a good follower, you need to be able to think for yourself. The best followers support and aid the leader when he or she is doing the right thing, and stand up to the leader when he or she is headed in the wrong direction.
Many of the same qualities that we admire in leaders–competence, motivation, intelligence–are the same qualities that we want in the very best followers. Moreover, leaders, regardless of their level, also need to follow.
There is a book on my shelf written by an x-GI about experiences
through two or three military conflicts. The author speaks of need of
quick definite decisions, yes. But he speaks of having had a couple
junior officers in charge who made planning decisions and wouldn't
listen to experience, resulting in unnecessary loss of life and
achievement. I've reported to a couple officers like that, a couple
others who knew they might need to learn something about the specific
turf, and to senior officers who really did know what they were doing
and were wonderful.
I reported to one
leader in the corporate environment who took his crew on a service
afternoon in a food bank. The food bank person in charge gave me
specific instructions; take these things to this particular place. But
the corporate leader gave me specific conflicting instructions; it was
not his role to do so, but he had not caught on to the fact that he was
giving orders outside his appropriate environment.
Moving on: http://www.planetshifter.com/node/1695
A good list of qualities and factors.
This one ties into some biblical examples and principles: https://michaelhyatt.com/why-the-best-leaders-are-great-followers.html
This one summarizes a great talk given in the LDS realm. http://www.gcgems.com/2016/08/the-greatest-leaders-are-the-greatest-followers-stephen-w-owen.html
