When it comes to being remembered, everyone wants to be a leader. That is what looks best on your resume; that is what will land you a job, and leaders exhibit qualities that people admire and desire themselves.
Being a follower today tends to have a negative connotation. Followers only do the things that their leader does, no matter the ethics behind it, no matter how it might make someone feel and no matter what the stakes. They'll do, take or act in ways perhaps they normally wouldn't just for the sake of the leader.
Maybe the leader/follower relationship that came to your mind is Regina George and her minions: Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith. What is most scary about Gretchen and Karen is that they don't have any regard for the consequences that Regina's actions have. I mean, poor Karen, she's just really unfortunately stupid, but Gretchen, when she finally breaks down and turns against Regina, makes us all scream, "Yes!" because we are happy that she has become her own leader, free from Regina's control.,
But there are examples of leading and following relationships every day in our lives, not always as extreme as the "Mean Girls." We have bosses at work, we have administrators and teachers at school, we have student leaders of organizations, and we have parents and grandparents, who are the leaders of our home. We are constantly surrounded by leaders and too often, I would argue, we wish to be the leaders.
I am OK with being a follower, and you should be too. Because being the leader isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Maybe you've been a leader at some point, whether it be for a team, extracurricular, musical or even a clique. Leadership looks glamorous. But it's not always.
Parents get to boss you around, but they're the ones who have to pay the bills and handle any financial duress that happens in your family. They must provide for you but be honest with you when you can't have the new car or that new outfit for graduation.
Bosses may get to dictate your work schedule and what tasks you are responsible for, but they also have to tell you when the company is laying off employees and you're one of them. It's not easy news to take, but it isn't easy to give either.
Leaders of teams and organizations may get to work with what schedule best suits them and may get the perks of the group, but leaders also have to yell at people who are slacking, consistently encourage people to do their share of the work and take the consequences when jobs aren't being done.
Leaders do more than we thank them for. They are the ones we turn to when we are struggling to get something done on time or the ones we turn to for advice. Too often, we complain about our boss giving us work too many days in a row or our parents being strict about curfew.
It's great to be a leader, and leadership experience is something we all should gain at some point because then we learn what it's like to be on that side of the relationship.
While many of us are leaders in different activities at school, it's also great to be a follower. Don't let anyone tell you that being a follower is lame, or being a copycat or being a loser. Being a follower is how we learn what examples to follow and how to be the best leader we can be when the opportunity is available.
