Leadership AND Followership

Since we are discussing followership tomorrow in class, I was thinking about the role of followership in fostering ethics on a college campus. Bad leaders do not operate in a vacuum. In other words, it takes both leaders and followers to dance to the beat of a cheating culture.

In “Creating New Ways of Following,” Ira Chaleff writes, “Large organizations, both commercial and public, are among the prime engines of contemporary culture. Every time we sow seeds among individuals and groups within these organizations, we are sowing seeds for a culture in which people stand up for what is right” (p. 70). Universities represent large organizations that can sow the seeds of ethical leadership and courageous followership. Developing a curriculum that teaches both ethical leadership and followership will enable colleges to influence the moral fabric of society.

How can universities do this? Colleges can sow seeds through formal mechanisms such as curriculum-based courses that focus on ethical decision-making, first-year experience programs that address leadership, and capstone projects that promote citizenship. Moreover, utilizing informal methods such as peer mentoring programs, advising relationships, residential-based programming, and retreats will plant the seeds of leadership and followership, which ultimately enhances growth and

development in these areas contributing to an ethical climate on campus.