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1. If you think there might be a mistake in something 6. You’ve been trying to get some face time with your
you’ve done, what do you do? boss for weeks and luckily catch him or her in the
A. Fess up. It’s better to share your concerns bathroom. You:
up front so your boss can see if there is a A. Take care of personal business and get out of there.
problem and get it corrected before it makes B. Grab your chance to schmooze with the boss.
him look bad. You might not get another any time soon.
B. Try to hide it. Maybe there isn’t really a prob-
Here are the appropriate follower behaviors:
lem, so there’s no use in making yourself look
incompetent. 1. A. Honest self-assessment and fessing up to the
2. How do you handle a criticism from your boss? boss builds mutual confidence and respect.
A. Poke your head in her door or corner her in the Nothing destroys trust faster than incompetence
cafeteria multiple times to make sure everything exposed after the fact.
is okay between the two of you. 2. B. David Snow, former president and COO of
B. Take the constructive criticism, make sure you Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, refers to
understand what the boss wants from you, and insecure, thin-skinned people who have to check
get on with your job. in frequently after a criticism as door swingers.
3. You’re in a crowded elevator with your boss after an Door swingers are annoying in both our personal
important meeting where you’ve just landed a million- and work lives. Just get on with things.
dollar deal. You: 3. B. You have no idea who else is in the elevator.
A. Celebrate the victory by talking to your boss Keep your mouth shut. You can crow about the
about the accomplishment and the details of the new deal later in private.
meeting. 4. A. There’s nothing worse than having someone
B. Keep your mouth shut or talk about non–business- hovering while you’re trying to carry on a phone
related matters. conversation. Leave a note with your boss’s
4. Your boss has an open-door policy and wants people assistant or come back later.
to feel free to drop by her office any time to talk 5. B. You can usually be safe in assuming your boss
about anything. You pop in just after lunch and find hasn’t called you in for idle chit-chat. Never show
her on the phone. What do you do? up without a pen and paper to make notes.
A. Leave and come back later. 6. A. At best, to use the bathroom as a place to try to
B. Wait. You know most of her phone calls impress the boss makes you look desperate. It
are quick, so she’ll be free in a few also shows a lack of tact and judgment.
minutes.
Most of these seem obvious, but based on interviews
5. You’ve been called to the boss’s office and have no
with leaders, subordinates commit these sins over and
idea what he wants to talk about.
over in the workplace. Keep these missteps in mind so
A. You show up on time, empty-handed, and ask
you don’t become an annoying follower.
the boss what you need to bring with you.
B. You show up on time with a pen, paper, and your Source: Based on William Speed Weed, Alex Lash, and Constance
Loizos, “30 Ways to Annoy Your Boss,” MBA Jungle (March–April
calendar or PDA. 2003), pp. 51–55.

Be a Resource for the Leader
Effective followers align themselves to the purpose and the vision of the orga-
nization. They ask the leader about vision and goals and help achieve them. In
this way, followers are a resource of strength and support for the leader. This
alignment involves understanding the leader’s goals, needs, strengths and weak-
nesses, and organizational constraints. An effective follower can complement the
leader’s weaknesses with the follower’s own strengths, as we saw earlier in the
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