“Be a leader, not a follower,” is something we constantly hear. Sometimes people do not want to be leaders though. Sometimes people do not like the responsibility of being in control, but we are always being told that being a follower is so wrong. But what’s so wrong with being a follower? And why is everyone so caught up on leaders?
There have been many times where I have been a leader. But there have also been many times that I have been a follower, such as at work, in a social setting, or in sports, where have felt bad for being one. I have always felt like I have to conform to being a leader, even when I do not feel like it is my place because of how glorified being a leader is.
When people think of followers, they correlate it with social media. Number of followers get to peoples heads, makes them think they are leaders when in reality it is just a number. Nowadays it is easy to misconstrue what leaders and followers really are.
But in this article, the followers will be celebrated. Our culture is so obsessed with the people that lead, that we tend to forget all the other people that make leaders possible. Shout out to all of the followers out there because they deserve to be recognized.
First, followers are open-minded people because they are not blinded by being in control. Followers are able to see the leader’s side of things, as well as everyone else’s side of thing, because they are on this other side. They have an unbiased view since they aren’t the ones giving orders. They’re able to identify what needs to be done, and how everyone feels about
decisions to help the leader achieve their goals.
Next, followers are humble, and this is a great quality. Followers know their role. They know that they are not the leader, and that is okay with them. If everyone wanted to be a leader, they would clash and there would be chaos. Followers recognize that they are not the ones in control, and are there to highlight, lift up, and strengthen their leader.
Followers also have an invisible influence. Some people assume that just because someone is a follower it means that they don’t have their own voice, but this is wrong. Followers often do what their leader tells them, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t criticize and disagree with their leader, at times. Followers question or challenge their leaders, having a significant influence in the end.
In addition, followers are obedient. They are composed, and are able to complete the tasks that their leaders give them. Many people don’t like being told what to do, but followers are able to handle this, and take their leader’s commands to work towards a certain effort. There need to be people that give orders, and people that obey for there to be harmony, and for tasks to get completed.
At Monmouth, students are constantly encouraged to get involved in on-campus clubs and organizations. Students often join the clubs hoping to attain an elected status within the club, being a general member of the club is the starting point. Without general members of a club, there is no president or board members.
Let’s be honest, being the president of a club looks great on a resume. However, general members, a.k.a. followers, are needed for all clubs and are the ones who get things done. Followers are the ones who make the votes and ultimately make the changes.
For instance, at The Outlook, many members start out just copy editing or just being a staff writer and work their way up to editorial positions.
Copy editors are staff members who read over and make edits to articles being prepared for print. This may seem like minimal work but it is necessary in the production of The Outlook. Every member of the staff holds a key position and makes the paper run smoothly every week.
Overall, followers are an asset to our society. There would not be any leaders without followers, and ironically, the best leaders are good followers.
A leader that doesn’t have these exemplary traits of a follower, is someone who is corrupt and destined to fail.
To be a better leader, one must start off as a good follower. As Aristotle once stated, “He who’s never learned to obey can’t be a good commander.”
PHOTO TAKEN BY Kara D’Antoni
