INTHEBLACK February 2025 - Magazine - Page 57
“When we ask people to share stories of when things have
gone well or the strengths they see in each other, we create
opportunities for story-sharing that perhaps wouldn’t happen
in the natural course of work.”
DR PAIGE WILLIAMS, LEADERSHIP EXPERT
PUTTING TEAMS FIRST
Haslam says followership elevates the group
over individual leaders.
Teams benefit when leaders act in their best
interests. “If leaders are fixated on the zombie
leadership focus of ‘I’ and ‘me’, then it’s often
very hard to deliver benefits for teams,” he says.
In the followership model, each group
member is valued as an engaged and motivated
actor who contributes to the team’s success.
“It’s not a passive process, it’s an active,
engaged process,” Haslam says.
“It’s not about just doing what you’re told.
It’s about asking yourself, ‘What do I need
to do here, and how am I going to do it?’
which is an altogether different thing.”
He offers the French rugby 7s team as
an example.
He comments that the team’s psychologist,
Mickaël Campo, has worked hard to build
a strong sense of identity, which paid off
at the Paris Olympics where the team won
a gold medal.
“Their star player, Antoine Dupont, didn’t
even come on until the second half. They had a
team plan and a team strategy. They played as
a team and they won as a team,” Haslam says.
However, after the win, Dupont was
celebrated as the hero of the day, showing
how difficult it can be to shake the zombie
leadership narrative.
“It totally misrepresents what was actually
at the core of the success, which was this
engaged followership that’s driven by leaders
who are primarily concerned about the efficacy,
performance and wellbeing of the team,”
Haslam says.
INSPIRING FOLLOWERSHIP
Leaders who inspire followership do so
by creating a sense of belonging and safety
in their teams, says leadership expert
Dr Paige Williams.
“If people don’t feel secure, then
things like innovation, creativity and
problem-solving — none of that’s possible
because we don’t feel safe enough to do
that important work together.”
In a culture of safety, employees know
they can make mistakes and learn from them.
Williams says sharing stories of
disappointment or failure, however minor,
can help build strong teams.
“It could be something as simple as not
meeting a deadline they’d set for themselves
or a difficult lesson they learned that week,”
she says.
“By showing that they are learning through
things not going perfectly, leaders create
a culture of continuous learning, and an
acceptance that sometimes the way we get
through the things that don’t go well is the
most important lesson.”
Celebrating strengths is another valuable
tool in creating strong teams.
“A strengths-based appreciation practice
is a really great way to create relationships,”
Williams says.
“When we ask people to share stories of
when things have gone well or the strengths
they see in each other, we create opportunities
for story-sharing that perhaps wouldn’t happen
in the natural course of work.”
Williams recommends incorporating
this type of peer recognition into regular
team meetings. “At the beginning of a
meeting or a team huddle, ask the team,
‘What’s something that’s gone well or that
you’re proud of this week?’”
“It allows people to connect in a way that
isn’t just about the work in front of them,
which creates what I call a 'broader
relationship bandwidth'. What that means
is we know each other in different ways,
and we can call on each other when we
need support.” ■
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