Followership and servant leadership styles are the primary forms of leading people, especially in the army. Therefore, army officers typically resort to these two types because they are increasingly influential and demand soldiers’ engagement as well. As a rule, soldiers tend to develop better by sharing experiences and opinions with others. Servant leadership corresponds to followership one at some level, but at the same time, they communicate different concepts.
The servant leader needs to collect ideas from other people while making a decision. Servant leadership places an army ethic as its core value. A leader must demonstrate genuine respect by asking their soldiers for an opinion. Such an interaction improves unit cohesion and provides an understanding of soldiers’ views on a specific situation (Davis, 2017). A servant leader can be characterized as a persuasive, confident, empathic person committed to people’s growth. Followers have a different way of thinking since followership presumes to offer resolutions and ideas to the leader to fix the situation (Davis, 2017). They are supposed to ensure trustful relations within the unit and among the leaders. In the army, the follower will be guided by a non-commissioned officer who will always support and ask for help or advice when needed.
Even though they are different, both servant leadership and followership have the same core values. For instance, a leader should be respectful, loyal, and responsible as well as a soldier. Moreover, all the sides work for a common goal – to develop their organization (Davis, 2017). In general, when there is no leader and no followers, the army cannot exist because they are interdependent.
In conclusion, it can be observed that despite significant similarities in followership and servant leadership, these directions differ in some way. Servant leaders involve others in thinking processes before making a final decision. Meanwhile, followers are supposed to suggest ideas to leaders when asked for. The army ethics are valued in both concepts, and they can be used as a core mechanism for building a loyal and respectful community.
Reference
Davis, C. (2017). Servant leadership and followership. Palgrave Macmillan.