RLF Reflection: The Courage to Follow

On January 20th, Claire Deng gave a presentation on "The Courage to Follow". Claire argues that following and leading are not mutually exclusive, and that followership is in fact an underrated aspect of leadership. She references Derek Sivers and his First Follower Theory, which highlights the critical importance of the first follower in the start of any movement. This follower is the one who makes the leader into a leader, and it is this person who every subsequent follower is imitating. Being the first follower requires courage, and this courageous following is as necessary to any movement as leading is. Claire also connects being a follower to the concept of relational leadership, which paints both leadership and followership as dynamic roles, which different people move between. Claire calls her audience to embrace and appreciate being a follower, because this, she argues, will make them better leaders. Specific leadership skills that can be improved by following include awareness, collaboration, and critical thinking. Followers have become even more important as we enter an era of flatter hierarchies, in which the distinction between leaders and followers is not at all clear, and an appreciation for followers, by leaders, is critical. 

The concept of courageous following is not usually considered in leadership education, and so it is a skill that many developing leaders, including us RLF fellows, might lack. One way that we might apply what we have learned about leadership to become better followers is by evaluating other leaders critically when determining whether or not we should choose to follow them. If a leader embodies the skills and beliefs that we ourselves have incorporated into our leadership philosophies, then this might be someone who it is worthwhile to courageously follow. If not, then perhaps this is not a leader who should be followed, and instead we should step up and lead instead. Additionally, this focus on followers calls us as leaders to consider what sort of followers we hope to attract, and how we plan on doing so. As Claire emphasized, followers are critical to the success of any movement, so every leader should have a well thought out strategy for acquiring followers.  

-Written by Gracyn Campbell, Class of 2022 Rockefeller Leadership Fellow 

As Rockefeller Leadership Fellows, seniors gain a better understanding of the qualities and responsibilities expected of leaders. As Fellows take part in the workshops, discussions, and team-building exercises, they examine their skills, qualities, and attributes as leaders and analyze how these influence teamwork and achieving goals.