Followership is the foundation for becoming an effective leader.

Correct followership requires adherence to the prinicpled guidelines of an organization (herd).

Young people may carelessly follow what a group (herd) does despite unprincipled, harmful consequences.

“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”

This piece of wisdom is attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It’s advice widely advocated and trained by sports teams, the military, and other effective organizations.

My previous post examined the tendency for young people to cluelessly do irresponsible things to fit in with a social group for the purpose of allaying feelings of insecurity. They conform to a social clique, often doing valueless and even harmful things, such as vaping, drinking, and drugging. They act like sheep, errantly following the herd off the side of a cliff to belong for a short-term, false sense of security.

That’s not to say that all following is bad. Adhering to a principled, value-based group, such as a religious organization or other virtuously purposed entities, can be highly advantageous. It’s a uniquely human quality to learn to conform to and imitate the cultural norms of a group, such as a team or religion, to enable and sustain the valued principles of such entities, as detailed by Michael Tomasello in his acclaimed book Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny (2019).

Making the Right Decision

Conformity to the correct herd can move us toward long-term, meaningful outcomes. Wrong herd behavior, not so much. It’s a lifelong dilemma of choosing which herd to join or reject, and what behaviors to imitate or........

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