Followership

I'll be leading a workshop next week on Leading Up! The Powerful Influence of Followership. Many years ago I was on staff at a church- actually this was before I was on staff and was a lay leader in the church – and was seeing God do a lot of things through me in the church much to my astonishment. One of the pastors on staff made the comment that I do remarkably well leading up – he said “you’re not just a leader of followers but you lead up very well.”
I’d never heard that term before - but it really stuck in my mind. I didn’t ask him for much clarification but just really spent some time thinking about it. I knew that leadership was influence and so as I began to sort of observe what God was doing through me and the gifts He’s given me as I led up the people above me- of course EVERYone was above me since I wasn’t on staff -- but I just began to see that I did seem to have a voice at the table in many decisions.
I also noticed how people were coming to me to get their ideas heard by those above us, on staff and all the way to the Senior Pastor.
So I knew there was something to this. And then in about 1995 I heard someone name Pat MacMillan give a talk on followership - the first time I’d heard it termed quite that way and it tremendously impacted me and changed the way I thought about followership as a real thing that we can intentionally engage in.
What I know now is that good leaders follow- and good followers lead!