Even though I am a leader in several organizations that I serve, I also find myself inevitably in a followership role within that same organization. There needs to be a certain humility that is found within all leaders to be under the submission of another. Look at the hierarchy of a university; even the president of that organization is accountable to the board of trustees. even the board of trustees are accountable to the chairman of the board and even the chairman of the board is accountable to the people within that organization and to the mission statement. The mission statement was defined by the people in leadership over the university who are in submission to their own words. Followership roles are a way of life and if we can acknowledge this fact early on in our leadership roles, we will be able to be effective followers in areas that we have to answer to. If we were ever to say that there was a person or position that had no one else above them or they were not accountable to anything else, we have to also remember that that individual was once a follower him or herself. They have to know what it takes to work under the leadership of someone and recall the feelings, sensations, smells, sights, and emotions of being a follower. This person is accountable to the journey that they have taken to get them there.
Because I must integrate my faith into all that I do as well, I believe that we are all accountable to God in all of our actions. To learn how to be a proper follower of God, he has instructed us to "love our neighbor as our self". He instructed us what it means to serve in a followership role by making everyone else equal in our opinion of ourselves. Servant leadership and servant followership is not an excuse to get walked on and trampled by positions that intimidate us. Rather, servant leadership and servant followership are ways that we can lead others in whatever capacity we are given, for the bettering of something greater. How can I love the Lord my God with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength when I can not even love or serve my fellow brothers and sisters that I am surrounded with each day. Servant followership is not just being a "yes man", rather, it is serving the organization through the gifts, skills, education, and knowledge one has about his or her subject matter and the area that they have been placed within the organization. Remember: everyone is a follower at one point or another.
Geoffrey J. Grudzinski
- My Bio:
- After earning his bachelor's degree in Youth and Christian Studies, Reverend Grudzinski began his career as a juvenile intake officer in the juvenile criminal justice and court services system. There he completed more than 400 hours of focused training in youth and adult services and built his expertise in conflict resolution, outreach, and leadership development. A published author and adult learning facilitator, Rev. Grudzinski earned a master's degree in Ministry Leadership and is currently a doctoral candidate at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota conducting research in the area of higher education leadership. A former Eagle Scout, Rev. Grudzinski also sits on the board of directors at a community bank and recently helped his own son's elementary school pursue and secure its accreditation.
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