Leaders and Followers

When one reads or hears about Leadership, the gist is very likely to be about the Leader and his/her attributes. Often discussed are things like charisma, gravitas (for politicians) vision, inspiriation and the like.



To my way of thinking, this is all well and good. These elements can all be part of the leadership conversation. However, one very rarely hears about a leader in the context of their followers (notice I did not say constituients).



I believe that much can be learned about a particular leader by examining their impact on their followers. Interesting questions to ask can be:



How many followers are there? If a leader has no followers, then can he/she be considered a true leader.



What are the followers responding to?



How are they behaving? Does their behavior fit the leader's exhortations?



How long have they been this leaders follower, ie. have they been tested over time?



Would you like to join this group of followers, ie does their behavior inspire you?



Are these "willing followers?" After all, prison inmates may be complying but not really following in the way that I use the term.



If you are a leader, these and a few more questions are recommended!



Thanks.



RB