Actions speak louder than titles and every voice holds the power to lead
Just as there is no yin without yang, there is no leadership without followership. The two interdependent and complementary roles cannot exist without each other.
Followership is the symbiotic interchange between a leader and those they seek to influence. However, the word has long carried connotations of subservience, implying that followers are subordinates – a term derived from the Latin word for “lower order”. This notion is deeply misguided.
[This article is republished courtesy of INSEAD Knowledge, the portal to the latest business insights and views of The Business School of the World. Copyright INSEAD 2024]