The Other Side of Leadership: Why Followership Matters

We are raised to be leaders. Well, allow me a minor correction—we are raised to glorify leadership. And I don’t intend this remark to mean that this is wholly bad.

Many of the problems we see around us are attributed to limited leadership. If a group project falls through, it was because no one stepped up to take charge. If a movement is unsuccessful, it’s because the leadership was lacking. We’re told that we need people to take the lead. And, in many cases, this is true! We need people willing to set a vision, to act boldly, and to take chances. Too often people hesitate out of fear of looking foolish, so yes—encouraging leadership is important.

During my time in university, where our motto was “take the lead,” I worked to create spaces where people could, quite intentionally, look foolish. Trying new things or stepping into roles that feel “out of character” makes us uncomfortable, but that discomfort is often where leadership growth begins. And yet—even when we create new leaders, even when people are brave enough to try—sometimes a project or movement still falls short. Why?

Because leadership is only one piece of the puzzle. We have not yet learned how to raise good followers. Not followers who trail along like sheep, but followers who think critically, challenge effectively, and take accountability for collective success.

I grew up with two parents who are brilliant leaders, though they embody very different styles. My mother, a servant leader, leads with authenticity, vulnerability, and compassion—clearing the way for others to be brave. My father, in contrast, is a pacesetter and rule-oriented leader, decisive and demanding, always setting a high standard. Neither of them left their leadership at the door when they came home, so leadership was woven into my upbringing.

Naturally, I strove to be a leader worthy of the impression left by my last name. I wanted to walk into a room and live up to the reputation my parents carried. And so I chased titles and accomplishments: President of a nonprofit, the first undergraduate leadership theorist at my university, founder of multiple student organizations. I even competed in imaginary contests in my head, just to prove I could “win” at leadership.

But when it came time to audition for commencement speaker—a culmination of four years of leadership—I hit a wall. My life had been defined by leadership, but when I sat down to write about it, I felt inauthentic. Why? Because my vision of leadership was too tied to positions and authority, things I would soon lose as I graduated. What would last beyond those titles?

The answer came when I rewrote my speech, this time focusing on followership. I argued that we succeed not only through bold leaders, but through effective followers—those who ask smart questions, take accountability, and think critically about how to support their teams.

When I shared this new draft, my father had several concerns. He worried that highlighting followership would undermine my credibility as a leader, that it would sound like weakness, or worse—that it excused laziness. He wasn’t alone. My speech wasn’t selected, and the feedback I received revealed just how deeply ingrained the bias is: leaders are seen as strong and capable, followers as weak and submissive.

But that is exactly why I believe this conversation matters.

Through the rest of this series, I will be unpacking the common biases we hold about followership, and why they’re not only wrong but harmful to how we work and grow. I’ll share real-life examples—from my own leadership journey, from nonprofits, from classrooms, and from history—that show how followership is not second place to leadership, but a vital role in its own right. My goal isn’t to convince you that leadership doesn’t matter, but to show you that it cannot exist without followership.

So, as you follow along, expect stories that challenge assumptions, frameworks you can apply in your own teams, and practical ways to reimagine what it means to “take the lead”—sometimes by being the one who chooses to follow.