Followership

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Leadership Theory

Leaders contribute on the average no more than 20 percent to the success of organizations.¹ Those who follow the leader are critical to the completion of the remaining 80 percent. Most people working in organizations, irrespective of their title, spend more time following than leading. Moreover, people tend to move back and forth between leading and following on a continuous basis throughout their working day. Most people follow more than they lead, and following represents 70 to 90 percent of their lives. While people spend most of their working life contributing as followers to the success of their organizations, there is little discussion of what the role of the follower is and how it relates to ...