Everybody has a boss.

Even the Chief Executive Officer reports to the stockholders and the individual proprietor must respond to customers or clients.

Every leader starts as a follower and continues to be a follower no matter how high a level he or she reaches.

Professor Robert Kelley of Carnegie-Mellon University noted:

&8220;People actually play both roles (leader and follower) and need both skills, but the quest for being a good leader can be hampered by not being a good follower.&8221;

Know Your Boss&8217; Job Goals

Not only do you need to be a good employee, and anticipate your boss&8217; needs, you need to also know your boss&8217; job goals.

By good listening and careful observation you can learn what the boss really wants from the job and by giving a little extra effort and time to those projects, you can be extremely valuable to your boss and contribute to the accomplishment of those goals.

Help Your Boss Clarify His/Her Thinking

Andrew had the reputation of being an iconoclast.

He always seemed to disagree with company policies and was constantly bringing up ideas that were different from what had actually been done.

He had been fired from two previous jobs because of this.

When Andrew went to work for his current employer, he resolved to try not to be so critical, but his nature overcame his resolution and before long he was again vociferously expounding his disagreements.

When his boss called him in for a private conference, Andrew expected to be fired again.

However, this boss took a different tack.

&8220;Andrew, you can drive people crazy, but you do something for me that nobody else has ever done.

You make me rethink and reevaluate what I have often taken for granted.

You provide a good service that is needed.

Now, if you can learn to be more diplomatic, you can be a valuable employee.&8221;

Good leaders need followers who are not just sycophants, who always agree with them.

A good follower should not be afraid to call to his boss&8217; attention matters of ethics, public image and judgment.

In this way, the follower provides a service that will not only result in better management on the part of the leader, but will help the follower groom him or herself for future leadership roles