The Beatitudes, one of Jesus’ most defining moments in the Bible, shows a different perspective on leadership – to let people follow you, you must first be the follower. It was groundbreaking for its time, to come up with such a perspective, but this principle has allowed the Catholic Church to prosper through the years.

It has been our mindset that to lead is better than to follow, a follower is merely a leader’s slave and we don’t want to be anyone’s slave. That is why we frown at our own reality and long something better. We keep forgetting that a leader and a follower are both necessary in this world.  To understand this, we have to define both concepts. Basically a leader is someone who influences change within his group. He inspires his people. He needs to possess necessary intelligence, skills and the right attitude to deserve the title. He may not be necessarily be a good person, he just has to be good in what he does. A leader guides a whole army fleet to carry out strategic tactics. A leader drives his whole team to accomplish the task before 5pm. A leader watches over his ship as they steer towards the horizon. Simply put, a leader gets the job done.

A follower on the other hand does as he is directed. He sees to it that all regulations are followed and tasks are accomplished. He is the bold soldier who braves enemy territories because he trusts in his commander. He is the hard working employee who works hard on the project to meet the deadline. He is the loyal sailor commanding the sails. A leader without a follower is an unnecessary one because there would be no one to lead in the first place, so undermining them is a stupid notion. It is the followers who make the foundation of an organization.

Being a good follower means you are a team player, you work harmoniously in a group and not keep to yourself. You are motivated and reliable, your superiors trust you with responsibilities because they know you can carry them out well. You are not submissive, meaning you have insight on what’s going on and you don’t just follow blindly. You have the necessary skills, attitude and intelligence to make things work. These and more characteristics make a follower an indispensable part of the team. A leader and a follower co-exist in this cycle, that is why undermining the roles of a follower is foolish.

Everyone is so keen to be a leader that nobody is a follower anymore. We keep forgetting that a good following is as essential as a good leader in a group. Aside from merely accomplishing the task, a good follower supports his leader all throughout. It is this alliance that wins wars, regardless of how big they may be. So the next time you doubt yourself and envy your superiors, remember that you matter. They wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for people like you.

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