Are We Overlooking the Value of Being a Good Follower in Our Pursuit of Leadership?

One statement that has been bothering me for quite a while is: "Good followers make good leaders." And then I came across discussions here at CITEHR, like "Do you consider yourself a leader or follower?" It sets me thinking... everyone wants to be a leader, and hypothetically speaking, if everyone were to achieve what they wanted (i.e., become a leader), who will they lead? Who will look up to them as leaders? Is it not good to be a responsible follower... a follower of your role model, a follower of the defined process/methodology/policy, a follower of market dynamics, a follower of a customer business plan... by a follower, I don't only mean following a boss.

The mad chase to be a leader vs. in turn being insensitive to others - is there a relationship between these two? Now when I read the first line again "Good followers make good leaders," the notion gets stronger in me.

Let's debate.

Regards,
Raj

First of all, please accept my sincere appreciation for initiating this thread. Good followers can only become good leaders in their life. In the absence of a good leader, one must come forward, take the lead, and make the team move ahead without any difficulty. A good follower will have empathy because he is following his leader's lawful orders. In fact, the leader must have empathy so that he can listen to his subordinates in their needy hours. Only a good follower can become a good leader, and it is not that good followers are making the good leaders.

Regards

The title "Good Followers Make Good Leaders" can be interpreted in two different ways:

1. Good followers enable others to become good leaders, i.e., good followers are making good leaders (which probably was not what I meant initially, but it now makes sense to debate from this angle also). In this case, leaders normally say, "I am what I am because of what my team made me."

2. Good followers make good leaders of themselves, i.e., they themselves become good leaders (which is the point that you have made). In this case, a person who has been a good follower will evolve into a good leader.

Regards

There have been 68 views of this thread and just one person who chose to engage in the discussion. We need to debate and share our views. Remember, no single view is absolutely right or absolutely wrong! Come on, guys...

The Art of Followership

This is an important point. It is an art to be able to follow someone. Not everyone is able to follow another person. It is as difficult to be a follower as it is to be a leader.

Books on Followership

Are there any books available on followership? Please advise.

Regards,
Gopal

@ Gopal: True, in fact, I would also like to know if there are any books available on Followership. My intent was that if more people share their views (like there is an open poll), views like those in a book can come up here!