Higher stakes demand follower skills from all

To show off the achievements of the students, the dean assigned two of the four students, who were the winners of the McGill Management International Case Competition 2008 in Canada, to make a presentation about how their team could win that competition.

The students astonished and impressed me with their ability to tackle a tough business case within a limited time of just 24 hours and, more importantly, by what they learnt from the competition. Three capable students had to deflate their egos to become "followers" so as to let the other team-mate be the "leader" to achieve their ultimate goal of being No 1 together.

In the business world, no matter who we are, we are followers in one way or another. Hence, we have to do it right. That is to say, being a follower is unavoidable but how we excel in it is what we have to think so as not to be the "blind follower".

Good followers understand the vision of where they are going and how to get there. They know how to share the vision with the leaders and can head for their goals even without the leaders being there.

Good followers make themselves indispensable for the leaders by maximising their perceived value by using creativity, initiative and team values so that the leaders will definitely assign more value to them.

Those Thammasat University students know their role in winning that gruelling competition to uphold Thailand's reputation in the international arena. The chaotic troubles now ruining our country's image stemmed from the fact that those parties concerned did not know how to play their roles right.

Panatda Chennavasin is vice president corporate strategies and corporate relations with Tri Petch Isuzu Sales and senior vice president for overseas marketing Isuzu Operations (Thailand). Read her article every third Wednesday of the month.