The concept of leadership is incomplete without understanding it in relation to followership. This topic has been on my mind recently. The world has previously mostly been preoccupied in trying to figure out leaders and the follower’s perspectives have received little attention. What is forgotten is that the relationship between leaders and followers is two-way; there is mutual dependence on each other for the fulfillment of motives. As with any other experience both parties evolve through it.
The well known secret of leadership is that leaders are usually good at interpreting the collective conscience. If you think about it you will realize that the function of leadership is to carve a sustainable mission by culminating the collective desires and needs, to propel people by engaging their values and motivations. Leadership in fact starts with an understanding of followership.
To some extent leadership can be viewed as a personal experience between the leader and the follower. However, the power imbalance between the two usually is significant. Leaders are very aware of their power and exert their influence as they see fit. Followers on the other hand can sometimes not escape the leadership they are subjected to.
What followers can do is exert influence on leaders too. Followers can define the leadership they experience by being more aware of their own power. This awareness allows them to play a role in maintaining the power balance. They are the ones who give leaders the power through their followership. As the world is starting to witness followers are slowly becoming active players in the role leadership plays and the power leaders are able to exert. It is time that we started engaging with the neglected concept of followership and gave as much attention to followers as we do to leaders.
