Why the conflicted view? In large part it is because we conceive "follower" to be a personality type. But in organizational settings "follower" is not a personality type. It is a role. And everyone who reports to a senior executive plays both a follower role and a leader role. How the roles are played makes all the difference.

Let's take an example. You are the CEO. You have made three brilliant acquisitions in the last twelve months, all of which have integrated well into the company. You are on a roll. Share prices reflect the confidence your actions are breeding. You want to reinforce this and set your sites on another acquisition. This one has more potential problems. You read the due diligence but devalue the more troubling concerns. You want to keep your streak going!

Now which kind of follower do you want around you? One who salutes and implements? One who warns you of the dangers but salutes and implements when you choose to proceed despite the warning? Or one who pushes back hard enough to make you reassess your assumptions and who saves you from going "a bridge too far?" In practice, most senior executives really want the second profile. But they need at least some of the third profile. Some might call this "Reverse Leadership." In my books on the subject I call it "Courageous Followership."