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The Courageous Follower

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The Courageous Follower
Hattie Thatcher
Critical Thinking and Decision Making
Dr. Gordon Flanders
Montana Tech of the University of Montana

To me, being a follower never sounded good; my parents lectured constantly about how to always be a leader, a good one at that, and to never be a follower. However, after thinking more about it, followers are needed, too. Being a follower is not a bad thing; our world would not function if it did not have followers. Seriously, we would not have companies, politics, education, etc. if everyone wanted to be a leader. To think of leaders without followers is like thinking of teachers without students (Chaleff). Followers are important, just like leaders; leaders could not actually be leaders if they did not have any followers. A follower is a person who does not take full control over a situation; rather, he allows someone else to do it, but supports that person. A follower is someone who accepts full guidance or command from a leader. Leaders need followers because they need people to rely on; they need to have people who support their actions and beliefs. As humans, we all need reassurance; clearly, leaders are humans, but leaders sometimes need more reassurance than others. Followers force leaders to be more courageous and allow leaders to truly believe in what they stand for. As mentioned, the world would be much less of a place if it did not have followers in it. Followers have changed history; granted, it has taken leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi to initiate changes in the world, but it took the participation of followers to actually put plans in action. Teams would suffer, companies would be affected, and religion would not exist if there were no followers. Like I said, my parents brainwashed me to be always be a leader; therefore, there have not been many times where I have been a

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