Leadership/Followership

Considerable attention has been given to the nature and function of leadership, but relatively little to followership.  At the end of the story, each leader is evaluated on the effectiveness of his or her follower individuals or groups.  Asked to write a book on Christian leadership, I soon felt that no adequate treatment could be given to the subject without some attention to those persons being led.  Followers have a mysterious relationship to leaders that make something of leaders in the followers. This makes an excellent secular study in the leadership of Washington and Lincoln, or Eisenhower whose effectiveness in the European/African theater of World War II, with the followership/leadership of some of his Generals and other officers in the field that reaches down to virtually every soldier.  If Robert E. Lee had followed Lincoln’s leadership and offer to guide the northern troops in the War Between the States, that war would not have lasted nearly so long as it did, and many thousands of lives would not have been lost.  Had McClellan followed Lincoln, it would not have lasted so long.  Leadership needs followership, both assignments carrying its own gifts.  Without both, neither leader nor follower will gain the larger purposes of life.  Jesus rested much in the disciples to become leaders and models when he no longer would be physically present in the world.  Many of the closing days of Jesus’ ministry were focused on the sub-leaders, who would carry through his message to the world.  That transition from following to the learning and practice of leadership continues in what is sometimes thought of as apostolic succession.  In a chapter in Leadership/Followership I summarized the variant responses of persons related to leadership and followership.  Persons may fit any one of the four categories at this or that particular time and events.

1. LEADERS OF LEADERS: These persons are goal oriented, related to purpose.  He or she is usually somewhat charismatic or inspirational and has something of a creative bent.  There is almost always found objectivity met with high energy levels which may not be as high as they are made to appear.  These persons are seekers of knowledge, willing to take risks and not undone by failure.  There is usually effective communication with close colleagues – those necessary to the success of the objective.

2. LEADERS: These persons carry the great burden of carrying through the program objectives of the Leaders of Leaders.  That is their function.  They may be better managers of people and resources than the authority over them.  They are loyal to that authority, but straightforward in working with that authority.  They are concerned with the welfare and feelings of the followers.  They often have better understanding of the context in which the goals are to be carried through than do the more authoritarian persons under whom they work.  They have a high sense of duty, often sacrificially taking blame for failures of others.

3. FOLLOWERS: These need leaders to mobilize, organize and motivate to move toward goal completion.  They need information, perhaps training, and courage to move forward. They are open to direction, but like to be a part of decision making, the ideal meaning of unionizing.  They feel less responsible for the project, and are not open usually to major risks.  They may not be open to evaluation and change, but their dedicated participation is necessary to the achievement of the purposes and goals.

4. FOLLOWERS OF FOLLOWERS: These persons may feel no driving motivation for the objective.  They may be passers-by with no interest in the point of importance to the involved persons. They may have time to fill or kill and that with little motivation in this context.  They don’t think through the issues, but respond to whatever is available.  Sometimes they are forced to follow so to act by coercion or guilt. They may become, if they feel trapped, enemies of the purpose and then to go to a contrary entity. If this group, perhaps as voters, is large enough on issues the consequences may be skewed for the context.