by Richard A. Cheatham

No doubt, you’re used to hearing about poor leadership here in America (and elsewhere). There’s certainly enough of that to go around. The real problems in our society, however, do not originate with leaders and their leadership, rather with their followers and the abysmally poor quality of contemporary “followership.” Today’s crop of poor followers is the real source of most of our troubles.

What’s wrong with today’s followers? Let’s consider some of our shortcomings as followers and our relationships with our leaders.

We all lead at various times and in various ways during our lives. We all follow too. Let’s talk primarily, though, about political leaders...and political followers in America. They’re the ones who get the most press and between whom the most money and the greatest power are transferred. Political leaders are the ones from whom we commonly expect the most. Political followers are the ones from whom we unfortunately expect the least.

If you’re going to follow rather than lead, then at least choose to follow leaders worth following. Demand honesty and candor. Demand competence and ability. Actively and constantly seek out evidence of these qualities in leaders and potential leaders.

“Hire” them to lead in a well-defined and limited manner. Precisely limit the scope of their leadership.

Constantly judge leaders and be willing at all times to bravely jump ship when you can not and should not go along. When you do, you assume your own mantle of leadership, leading yourself through objection, secession or even rebellion. After all, you own (and are responsible for) your own life.

Refusal to follow when forced to do so is definitely a form of leadership, one that admittedly can be somewhat dangerous. However, when all, most or even a significant number of followers abandon their leader, that leader is no longer a leader. In reality, it’s the followers who provide the power, the muscle, the life to any crusade and to any crusade commander. Followers are the ones who create and sustain their “leaders” and must be judged by the leaders they choose to follow. Their’s is thus an awesome responsibility. Just what kind of “leaders” are they selecting to empower?

If you expect more of a leader than you’re able to offer yourself, what’s the nature of your shortcoming? You might want to investigate why you define yourself as his/her inferior. Insist upon knowing why and where you’re being led. Submit blindly to someone else’s values and methods, and whatever negative consequences you suffer you will have earned.

America’s greatest contemporary problems result from expecting far more than can possibly be delivered by leaders and demanding so very little of those we so casually follow. This is a classic problem of followership. Poor followership is the real source of our greatest problems. Followers are ultimately at fault and deserve the lion’s share of blame.

©2005 by Richard A. Cheatham. All rights reserved. Mr.Cheatham is a professional speaker/writer and is syndicated through Press Media Group, LLC. Contact him through, Living History Assoc., Ltd., at www.LHALtd.com or DrawBackVeil@aol.com.