The Importance of Followship

In keeping with his competitively, combative nature, the homily on the plaque at the front of his desk bucked corporate convention and confronted you with a challenge. It bluntly left no doubt as to his expectation of what you were there to do. “Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out the way.”

And no one was left in any doubt as to which of these three actions he was there to fulfill. It can be endlessly debated at water coolers and over dinner (and often is) whether he is, in fact, the leader. But in his mind, there is no doubting or debating the fact. He is the ultimate leader of the New York Yankees baseball team, and his name is George Steinbrenner.

What is interesting in this characteristically sanguine maxim is Steinbrenner’s acknowledgement of followers. It is a given that all leaders have followers. In fact, there cannot be a leader without a follower (for what is a leader without followers if not marooned in a state of solipsistic limbo?).

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"Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week."

- George Bernard Shaw