American culture seems obsessed with the concept of leadership, a word often used to indicate courage, character and vision. An entire segment of the self-help industry is devoted to teaching people leadership skills, and leaders are consistently held up as heroes in the media. This value system inevitably transfers into schools. Some schools offer monthly awards for displays of student leadership, varsity badges for athlete leaders and special privileges for emerging class leaders.
We tell students to “not be followers,” but instead to “think for themselves” when facing peer pressure—and, of course, thinking for oneself is important. But overemphasizing leadership leads to the creation of a dichotomy: leader vs. follower. In this dichotomy, being a follower carries negative connotations. The result is very few positive messages for students wishing to work behind the scenes or in more collaborative, teamlike atmospheres.
Teachers can provide a more constructive view of what it means to be a follower. And we’re not the only ones working to recast followers in a positive, more empowered light.
Recently, the online retail store, Zappos, announced intentions to jettison the hierarchical leadership paradigm. Zappos has decided to forgo all titles of management—no more CEOs or directors. Instead of encouraging individuals in their company to “lead,” they have adopted a “holacracy.”
A holacracy envisions learning and working environments as creative communities where people work on self-organized teams to complete their respective work obligations. Rather than having a “job description,” individuals carry a role—or multiple roles—depending on their interests, expertise and capacities. The initiative, according to Zappos, helps to eliminate the tendency for leaders to emerge due to favoritism or office politics. By eliminating top-down leadership, the divisiveness and power plays that control processes and decisions no longer carry rewards.
Whether or not Zappos’ holacracy succeeds, the fact remains that not all students will—or will want to—be in leadership positions when they get into the workforce. Teaching students to be strong, effective followers means changing the mythology that making transformative changes requires being in a position of power. This message makes sense for preparing a strong, informed citizenry.
Teaching students to be strong followers may look like the following:
Ask students to reflect on justice and equity, and teach them to recognize organizations that embody these ideals. Being a follower doesn’t have to mean being a brainless lemming. By exposing students to the followers who created the groundswell behind the civil rights or environmental movements, for example, we illustrate that standing behind a cause is a powerful—and critical—force for change.
Teach students about the many voices they have, even if they're not projected through a public mouthpiece. Being a strong follower does not mean being silent; it means learning how to voice opinions in a variety of ways. For example, students can be taught to speak with their purchasing power by avoiding companies with abusive workers’ rights records.
Teach students how to consider multiple perspectives. Many problems have multiple solutions. Being a strong follower means considering multiple perspectives, learning to listen and learning to voice dissent in a constructive manner. It also means learning to take risks and to trust teammates. This willingness to adapt and trust the process can lead to new discoveries, novel solutions and authentic learning.
Instead of only rewarding students who stand out in traditional leadership roles, let’s honor students for their abilities to offer support to their schoolmates. Instead of only recognizing those in the limelight, let’s celebrate collaborative achievements, emphasizing effective teamwork. As we work to honor all students in our diverse classrooms, let’s not forget the importance of followers. Perhaps by highlighting the skills it takes to be a strong follower, we can foster collaboration and creativity—and discover more authentic ways to value each other.
Ricket is a high school English teacher in Ohio.
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