California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2018_Spring Magazine_Final | Page 37

FOLLOWERSHIP:
An Essential Component of Leadership
By Luis Soler, Chief of Police, Woodland, California, Police Department
L
eadership is a word everyone is familiar with, and it is a concept that is ingrained in officers’
minds from the time they enter the law enforcement profession. For many officers, leadership
becomes even more important as they progress through the ranks, at which point many seek
leadership training, read leadership books and papers, and listen to leadership lectures and chats. It is
conveyed that leadership matters, and great leadership will result in more motivated employees, leading
to better productivity and positive outcomes for their organizations. It seems that current and future
law enforcement leaders are bombarded and preoccupied with the concept of leadership to the point
that it becomes synonymous with success. The truth is, leadership does matter; a poor leader, or a good
leader with poor leadership skills, can destroy an organization. Leadership is important at every level of
an organization, especially at the top, where more significant and complex decisions are made. This is
why so many organizations, both public and private, seemingly spend a lot of time and money making
sure their executives, managers, and supervisors get the latest and most comprehensive leadership
skills training possible. In fact, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, in 2013,
U.S. organizations boosted leadership development spending by an average of 14 percent, totaling an
estimated $15.5 billion.[1] These figures are staggering, yet they reflect the culture many organizations
have adopted: leadership centered.
Merriam-Webster defines leader-
ship as “the power or ability to lead
other people.”[2] In other words, a
leader is someone who can influence
others. This is the definition many
people and training programs focus
on. As such, most leadership train-
ing teaches trainees how to become
better leaders or how to successfully
influence others. However, when
one contemplates leadership, there is
another component that is commonly
overlooked: in order to be a leader,
one must have followers.
When was the last time you
attended a followership class or read
an article about followers (rather than
leaders)? Most people have never
done either, which can be a problem
for organizations. In fact, the lack
of awareness and understanding of
followership skills can result in many
people losing their jobs or getting
pushed aside.[3] So how important is
followership? Apparently, it’s import-
ant enough that the U.S. military has
incorporated followership into its
leadership training approach.[4] The
military has a three-pronged process
to develop leaders. First, they identify
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