Effective followers share four essential qualities. Self-management. The key to being a good follower is to think for oneself and to work well without close supervision. Effective group members see themselves as being as capable as their leaders.

Commitment. Effective followers are committed to something beyond themselves, be it a cause, product, department, organization, idea, or value. To a committed group member, the leader facilitates progress toward achieving a goal.

Competence and focus. Effective followers build their competence and focus their efforts for maximum impact, mastering skills that will be useful to the organization. Less-effective group members rarely take the initiative to engage in training and development.

Courage. Effective followers establish themselves as independent, critical thinkers, and fight for what they believe is right. A good follower, for example, might challenge the company’s policy of taking ninety days to make good on accounts payable.

Another way of framing the qualities of effective followers is to say that such followers display the personal characteristics and qualities of leaders. Although leaders cannot be expected to change the personalities of group members, they can take steps to encourage these qualities. Interventions such as coaching, empowerment, supportive communication, and frequent feedback would support effective followership.