FOLLOWERSHIP 1

Question 1

10 Rules of Followership

Answer 1

1. Do Not Blame the Boss
2. Do Not Fight the Boss
3. Use Initiative
4. Accept Responsibility
5. Tell the Truth and Do Not Quibble
6. Do Your Homework
7. Suggest implementation
8. Keep the Boss Informed
9. Fix Problems as They Occur
10. Put in an Honest Day’s Work

Question 2

Do not blame your boss for an
unpopular decision or policy your Job is to support, not
undermine. It is insidiously easy to blame an unpopular
policy or decision on your superior.

Answer 2

Do Not Blame the Boss

Question 3

Fight with your boss if
necessary, but do it in private. Avoid embarrassing
situations and never reveal to others what was discussed.
Chronologically, this rule should come first, but I felt the
above principle so important it deserved priority. Speak
honestly and frankly. Do not be a yes man. There is
always a tendency to tell the boss what you think he or
she wants to hear. Resist the temptation. In fact, if you
have strong reservations about an issue under discussion,
you have an obligation to express them. Fight for your
people and your organization, but do not roll over on
principles or issues that you believe are detrimental to the
unit’s mission accomplishment.

Answer 3

Do Not Fight the Boss

Question 4

• make the decision and then run it past the
  boss. No one likes to work for a micromanager. We all
  believe we are smart enough and mature enough to get the
  job done without someone hovering around and providing
  detailed guidance.

Answer 4

Use Initiative

Question 5

Accept responsibility whenever
offered The military or any top-flight organization cannot
work effectively or continue to grow and evolve unless it
is composed of risk-takers willing to assume
responsibility. This can be difficult because no one wishes
to risk failure or embarrassment.

Answer 5

Accept Responsibility

Question 6

Tell the Truth and Do Not Quibble

Answer 6

Your boss will be
giving advice up the chain of command based on what
you say. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. The same
could be the law for major miscalculations that were
based on minor indiscretions. Another unfortunate human
reaction is to hide or cover up mistakes before they are
discovered by others.

Question 7

Give your boss all the
information needed to make a decision.
Anticipate possible questions. Being a good staff
officer is harder than it looks; do your
homework. When given a problem to solve by
the boss, you must become an expert on the
subject before you attempt to propose a course of
action.

Answer 7

Do Your Homework

Question 8

When making
recommendations, remember who will probably
have to implement them. This means you must
know your own strengths and limitations. Once
you have finished studying the problem in depth
and are about to make a recommendation you
want the boss to ratify

Answer 8

Suggest implementation

Question 9

If you see a
problem, fix it. Do not worry about who gets the
blame, or praise. Army Chief of Staff General
George C. Marshall commented that there was
no limit to the amount of good people could
accomplish as long as they did not care who
received the credit.

Answer 9

Fix Problems as They Occur

Question 10

Keep the boss
informed of what is going on in the unit. People
will be reluctant to tell him or her problems and
successes. You should do it for them and assure
someone else will tell the boss about yours. One
thing you will notice as you advance in rank and
responsibility is that people will be less inclined
to talk to you. As a result, what you hear about
the unit may be heavily filtered. Staying
informed on the true state of affairs is a constant
but essential challenge. Subordinates who
routinely drop the boss notes or mention tidbits
in passing can really help a boss stay in touch

Answer 10

Keep the Boss Informed

Question 11

Put in more
than an honest day’s work, but never forget the
needs of your family. If they are unhappy, you
will be too, and your job performance will suffer
accordingly.

Answer 11

Put in an Honest Day’s Work