The Power of Followership
When we talk about leadership, we almost always talk about leading. We talk about vision, influence, strategy, decision-making and authority. We celebrate those who step forward, take charge and inspire others. What we talk about far less is followership. And yet, in my experience, the quality of our leadership is directly influenced by the quality of our followership.
Every leader begins by following. We follow parents, teachers, mentors, managers, coaches and role models. Throughout our careers, we continue to follow colleagues, governments, bosses, boards, professional standards and shared organisational goals, not to mention all the rules and regulations imposed upon us.
I am not sure when, where or how, but somewhere along the way, followership became viewed as something lesser. Something passive and subordinate. Something that happens before “real” leadership begins. I believe this is one of the greatest misunderstandings in leadership development.
Good followership is not passive. It requires judgement, courage, self-awareness, accountability and trust. It requires knowing when to support, when to challenge and when to step forward and lead ourselves. The best leaders I have worked with have also been exceptional followers. They understood that leadership is not simply about hierarchy. It is about relationships. This is where trust becomes critical.
Trust is not something leaders earn once and then keep forever. It is reciprocal, dynamic and fragile. Followers must trust leaders. Leaders must trust followers. Boards must trust executives. Executives must trust boards. Teams must trust one another.
This reciprocity is at the heart of the relationships that underpin mutual respect. The flow must work both ways. Healthy challenge, discussion and debate are not incompatible with trust. They are essential to building it, strengthening it and allowing growth, both personal and professional. Without trust, organisations can become environments of control rather than collaboration. With trust, something extraordinary has a chance to blossom.
In my experience, trust allows people to contribute more freely and challenge respectfully. They admit mistakes and support one another. They bring their expertise, creativity and humanity to the work. Perhaps one reason we struggle with trust in organisations is that we have spent decades teaching leadership while paying very little attention to followership. I have never seen an Award category for Followership.
And yet, the strongest organisations I have experienced have never been built on leadership alone. They have been built on the understanding that leadership and followership are not opposites. They are partners. It is a symbiotic relationship that takes time, trust and testing to build.
Without people who believe in the vision, have the courage to support it, challenge it when necessary and work collectively towards something greater, very little of significance is ever achieved. Great leaders need great followers. And in truth, great followers are underestimated and the least likely to be recognised as contributors to great leadership.
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