Amplifiers

3 Followers Versus Subordinates

What really makes managers effective is a good team of employees. Some of these employees are subordinates, and many are followers. There are important distinctions between subordinates and followers. Effective managers can get subordinates to deliver output at a high level of productivity. However, followers not only have the capacity to produce high-quality work but also to amplify the manager's effectiveness. Great managers recognize that exceptional followers have the ability to transform how the organization can deliver superior results. Being able to identify followers from a sea of subordinates is important to drive that success.

Subordinates

Anyone who has been responsible for managing staff members understands the difference between an employee who is strictly a subordinate and one who is a follower. In some cases, subordinates are actually easier to manage. Because they tend not to employ critical independent thinking skills for their given assignment, they will simply carry out the orders or directions you give them. However, they may require more interaction because they are less capable of resolving issues or any nonconforming item that comes up in their workflow, process, or assembly.

Good subordinates do as they are told, typically no more and no less. Employees with this operating style are generally easy to predict and can produce reliable and repeatable output in their tasks or position. However, because they lack critical ...