Jillian Gilbert
holds the position of Coordinator for Program Development and Mobilization at Azusa Pacific
University. Her
responsibilities include mobilizing and training students for longer term
mission service as well as coordinating on-campus informational events to raise
awareness of global missions’ opportunities and interaction. Gilbert is also an
Adjunct Faculty member in the Communication Studies department. Gilbert earned
her M.A. in Organizational Leadership in 2004 and is currently working on her
Doctor of Strategic Leadership at Regent
University.
The field of leadership studies has historically been
dominated by a leader-focused approach. However, emerging voices in the field
challenge that approach and encourage the inclusion of followers in the
analysis and research of the leadership phenomenon. This article discusses the
importance of followership and argues that followership and leadership are not
so much about position but about their condition in which both the leader and
the follower contain the ability to influence each other through behaviors and
self-concept. The article also discusses the leadership potential of the
follower and the symbiotic nature of the leader-follower relationship which has
an impact on organizational effectiveness.
