How Can a Follower Become a Leader?

Good leaders may have a large number of followers who admire them and identify themselves with the leader. Yet the admirers are busy in their job and their relationship with the leader is like that of the fans of a hero. Yet some of the followers choose to actually participate with the leaders in fulfillment of their missions. These people join the leader as worker to accomplish his dreams. In business organizations too, such followers give their express support for the leader and work for them. They perform all the tasks which are assigned to them by their leader.

Workers are the backbone of any organisation as the leaders accomplishes their goals through them. They represent the first level of overt follower as they openly display their loyalty towards their leader and work for them.

The workers are, however, the potential leaders as they have chosen to join the leader and work with them. They are like new recruits in a company who may reach to the top position. Many workers aspire to move higher and become leaders themselves.

An active worker gradually comes in the notice of the leaders. Good leaders always reward their workers by listening to their demands and suggestions and by giving them higher responsibilities. If they find the worker capable, they assigned them higher position in the organisation. Good workers are gradually elevated to the level of managers to test their ability as leaders. They are made responsible for performing important tasks for the organisation. There may be several layers of the managers in any organisation. A good manager also performs the job of a leader as he or she provides leadership to large number of workers. They too have vision and leadership qualities which are needed to manage the workers under them. Most managers are assigned the tasks but they have the freedom of adopting methods to deliver the results. Thus a manager is a leader in making. The only thing that distinguishes them from the leaders is that they do not have their independent vision. They implement the vision of their leader.

A manager is like an employee of a company. He can be hired and fired. Managers are also quasi- leaders as they perform the task of the leader within his limited domain. However, the performing managers gradually become indispensable for the leaders as they are often better than the leaders within their own domain. For example, some people can be greater fighters than the leader. Some may be great strategists while others may be great economist. The managers with great ability become gradually indispensable to the leader trust them very much. They gradually become part of the close nit group with whom the leader shares his secrets and strategies. These people are like Ministers in a Parliamentary system of Government who are all leaders in their given ministries. They sit with the leader and formulate the strategy. The leader may be considerable weaken if they decide to leave the leader. They are no longer replaceable as they personalities have become integrated with the leadership. They all have the potential of becoming leaders as they have already proven themselves as great managers and presently handling large responsibilities as leaders. They still do not know the whole picture as they are master of only one domain. They have proven to be good managers, but they have yet to prove themselves as leader. What they lack is the holistic leadership and acceptance by the followers.

The final stage of a follower is to become a leader. Such a person is known by his own name and respected for his own abilities. Each leader creates many such leaders who are like offspring's of the leader. They have the same DNA but have distinct personality and style. Great leaders like Gandhi created a generation of leaders who all have the same principles but different style and vision to lead the people. They proved their ability when they got their chance to lead their people.

Thus a follower is a leader in making. Just like a person join a school to get education wherein he passes different level of examination, a follower too become leaders by passing through different layers. Every follower may not become a leader and reach to the top, yet they become greater leader as they learn about leadership in the process.