A recent article by Dr. Toye Sobande, a professor of management and strategic leadership expert, highlights the dangers of unquestioning followership. Sobande argues that great institutional disasters, fraud, and atrocities often result from the collective actions of ordinary people who follow orders without questioning their morality. He notes that these disasters are not failures of obedience, but rather triumphs of followership, where individuals demonstrate loyalty, reliability, commitment, and discipline, but in the wrong direction.
Sobande emphasizes that the most dangerous people in history are not masterminds, but rather excellent followers who never question what they are following. He warns that loyalty without discernment can become complicity, and commitment without conscience can lead to the execution of bad decisions with excellence. This can result in catastrophic consequences, as individuals and teams follow orders without stopping to consider the morality of their actions.
The key to avoiding this trap, according to Sobande, is discernment - the ability to judge what deserves one's following and the courage to withhold it from what does not. This requires individuals to distinguish between following a person and following a mission. When the two diverge, individuals must be able to make a choice and stand by their principles. Sobande argues that followers bound to a mission have a higher standard to uphold when the person they are following departs from that mission.
Sobande outlines a ladder of action that individuals can take when they find themselves in a situation where they are following someone or something that no longer serves the greater good. The first step is to question honestly and in good faith. If that fails, individuals should push back with loyal, upward truth-telling. If that fails and the stakes are real, individuals may need to refuse to participate in what they believe is wrong. In extreme cases, they may need to leave or expose the wrongdoing.
However, Sobande also warns that discernment has its own counterfeit - contrarianism. He argues that individuals who simply resist every direction or decision are not discerning, but rather difficult and useless to a mission. True discernment involves following fully and gladly when the thing is worthy and resisting only when something genuinely deserves resistance. Individuals must be able to distinguish between principled refusal and ordinary discomfort.
Sobande concludes that real followership is not blind obedience or reflexive rebellion, but rather discernment joined to commitment. He challenges readers to reflect on their own followership and consider whether they are following a mission or a person. He encourages readers to ask themselves if they can recall a time when they withheld their following from something that did not deserve it, and if not, what that silence tells them.
Ultimately, Sobande argues that followership is not the base of the mountain, but rather the summit. He believes that great leaders master the skill of followership, rising through it rather than descending to it. By developing discernment and commitment, individuals can become effective followers and leaders, able to navigate complex situations with wisdom and integrity.
Key points
- Discernment is the key to avoiding the dark side of followership, and involves judging what deserves one's following and having the courage to withhold it from what does not.
