What's Followership and why does it matter?

We are all leaders. We are all followers. By focusing and developing only leaders and leadership, we perpetuate the idea that leaders are more valuable than others. It isn’t equitable. It isn’t in line with most organisations’ expressed values. And, it isn’t true. Research shows that strong followership improves key organisational metrics (top line, bottom line, employee engagement, customer satisfaction) by 17-43%.

  • Followership matters for healthy organisations.

  • Followership matters to people - for their careers, their confidence, and their potential.

  • Followership matters for achieving greater equity and harmony in communities.

  • And, followership matters for a healthy democracy.

FOLLOWERSHIP RESOURCES

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Followership is not the opposite of leadership. It’s certainly not about passivity, compliance, or “just doing what you’re told.” Followership is what activates leadership.

    And contrary to popular belief - and supported by research - many people don’t “just know” how to follow. 

    Here is a functional definition that makes both leadership and followership observable, learnable, evaluable, and improvable:

    “Leadership is framing: building and holding conditions for collective success. Followership is creating: taking informed initiative within those conditions.”

    — Dr. Marc Hurwitz & Samantha Hurwitz, Leadership Is Half the Story (University of Toronto, Rotman Press)

    Here is a courageous definition:

    “Followership is not a term of weakness but the condition that permits leadership to exist and gives it strength.”

    — Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower

    Here is an eloquent and expansive definition:

    “To follow an idea, a mission, or another person is a choice, not a job description. Followership is the under-recognized force that powers teams, organisations, and movements that shape the world we live in - whether your rank is low or high or somewhere in between.”

    — Sharna Fabiano, Lead & Follow

    At the Global Followership Network, we view followership as active, intentional, and dynamic. People move fluidly between leading and following depending on context, expertise, and the needs of the moment. Healthy systems don’t just develop better leaders, they develop people who know when to lead and how to follow well.

  • Followership is not blind compliance or passive obedience. 

    A lower-status role reserved for people without authority.

    Waiting your turn to lead.

    Doing whatever the leader says without judgement or care.


    Instead effective followership includes thinking critically, thinking creatively, advocating, speaking up, engaging, taking initiative, and choosing to contribute fully - even when that contribution involves reframing the problem, challenging the status quo or a decision, or even dissent. 

    • Leadership & Followership scholars, researchers, teachers and students

    • Coaches, consultants and trainers

    • Chief People Officers, HR professionals and OD professionals

    • Public and Civil servants

    • Members of the Armed Forces

    • Non-profit administrators and staff

    • Higher Ed. administrators and staff

    • Innovators and Creators interested in improving team and organizational dynamics, health and performance

    We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

The future is collaborative

Are you concerned about retention, engagement, succession planning, high performance and a healthy organizational culture?

Consider that the act of following an idea, a mission, or another person is a choice, not a job description. It’s actually the under-recognized force that powers the teams, organizations, and movements that shape the world we live in. And it’s a nimble set of skills that can be learned!

This is essential 21st-century knowledge for all who want sustainable, resilient, thriving companies and communities.

A group of people are in a circle, holding hands and praying in a church or prayer room.