“I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be.” ~Warren Bennis
“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” ~Aristotle
All trainings gear towards Leadership, thus, everyone wants to be a leader. Meanwhile, it is our common knowledge that no one grows from the top except the grave. If you don’t know how to crawl, sit and stand, how can you run? We have failed to follow the natural course of leadership growth through the emphasis on attractive words that help nobody. By this, we have created many leaders but no followers.
If you have no concept, knowledge, attributes and acts of a follower, you cannot evolve a true impactful leader. It is in servanthood that there is discipline, respect, patience, love, faith, endurance, humility, focus, determination, commitment, feelings, characters, understanding, and many attributes that can never be obtained in a class. There can never be true leaders without followership concept. It cannot be by preaching or training, it evolves from service. – Tapping Your Gold
Followership is rarely discussed; this is where almost all of history’s greatest leaders got their start.
- Joshua followed Moses for more than forty years before he led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
- Elisha served Elijah for ten years before he took up his master’s mantle and went on to perform even more miracles.
- The Apostles followed Jesus for three years—and made lots of mistakes—before they “turned the world upside down” (see Acts 17:6).
What is Leadership?
Leader is someone that directs a course. Thus, leadership is the role of bringing up a change within a set of other people. It is the ability to inspire or influence others towards the common goal. A leader is not necessarily someone who holds a formal position of leadership or who is perceived as a leader by others. Rather, a leader is one who is able to effect positive change for the betterment of others, the community, and society.
The importance of leadership in management and enterprise performance is widely understood and accepted. Improving leadership improves management and raises the probabilities of better performance. That boards often change leaders when enterprises are slipping confirms the importance placed on leadership. To them, the better the leadership skills, the better the chances of making the executive suite.
What is Followership?
Followership is the willingness to cooperate in working toward the accomplishment of the group mission, to demonstrate a high degree of teamwork and to build cohesion among the group. Specifically, it is the capacity of an individual to actively follow a leader. Followership is the reciprocal of social process of leadership.
Why do we need a leader?
The three most important parameter for a leader are: 1. People ; 2. Resources ; 3. Goals/ vision.
When God needed progress for Israelite out Egypt, he sought for Moses.
Milk and honey heritage require a leader that has a good understanding of the people.
- Note that natural resources are useless without human’s intellectual resources. Put gold in animal, the value is lost on the spot. Plant mahogany or teak trees in a thick forest, you just offer sporting facility to birds and monkey to enjoy their habitat. But give gold to a man, you will have the best of beauty. Offer a mazonia wood to human being you will have wonderful furniture in return. Give a crude oil to man, you will have petroleum and gas in return. These are power given to man by God, to think and create as mini gods.