Leadership and Followership

Monö (2014) makes an important point about the perception and nature of leadership, highlighting that leadership is “often concluded to be the key factor explaining either development success or failure”, and that typically, “followers are hardly mentioned at all”.  This idea that leaders are the key factor is so pervasive that it is rarely questioned.  However Monö introduces the idea of “followership”, the art of following a leader.  A focus on followers, rather than leaders, has the potential to maintain focus on the mission/movement, rather than individuals.

This is also a more empowering and democratic stance; where the voters, for example, are the decision makers, more than the politicians they elect.  A more distributed form of leadership emerges; where one situation calls one person forward, and another requires a different leader, fluidly shifting leadership.  It calls to mind for me the image of geese flying in formation.  Geese rotate which goose is in front, facing the brunt of air resistance.  If there was only one leader the whole time, the leader would fatigue and all the geese would slow down or need to stop.  Rotating allows them all to fly much farther and longer.

[Image: sciencabc.com]

It also brings to mind a great video (you may have seen; it circulated broadly a few years ago) of the importance of “the first follower” in a movement.  Worth a watch in this context, even if you’ve seen it before (and watch to the end; it is actually quite ridiculous how many people come!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbaemWIljeQ

Reference

Monö, C. (2014). Moving beyond leadership and followership. Green Horizon Magazine.  Spring/Summer.