I’ve been thinking about this quote by Chinua Achebe a lot recently.
A functioning, robust democracy requires a participatory followship, and an educated and morally grounded leadership.
When our intent is to be difficult. Focused on what is wrong, in all that we project, we are a source of destruction. Compliance is equally unhelpful, desirable to a despot, but not when we want to change.
Leadership training has been the antidote to apathy. But I think we have missed the point. The point is to participate, engage with a process, not expectation and the outcome. That can come later.
To borrow a line from Derek Sivers. “We are told that we should all be leaders but that would really be ineffective.”
Participatory followship is just as much an intention, an art, and a skill as leadership. To participate fully we must be desirably difficult. Our challenges, informed and educated. And of course, our intent, transparent and clear.
If we really care about an idea doesn’t it make more sense to play and participate with it than be in a rush to lead on it?