Growing up, I remember the words of every adult around me: “be a leader.

” Leadership

is important to advance the world, but followership always seems to be thrown aside. Learning

about leadership and followership has shown me the importance of having and being both a

leader and a follower.

A leader is someone who takes responsibility- they are the main decision makers and the

ones who take the brunt of the blame. They are often considered the driving catalyst behind a

company. While that may be true, the value of the star follower is often forgotten. A star

follower is one that accompanies the leader and often could be a leader, but they choose to help

the leader take the company to new heights. Without star followers, there would be too much

work that a leader could do. This makes star followers right up there in important with the

leaders; without them, the group will fail.

When I think of leadership and followership, I think of the Michael Jordan Bulls. Michael

Jordan is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He is a leader, and it

would not be unreasonable to name him the driving force behind the success of the Chicago

Bulls. However, he did have a few star followers to guide the team. The most famous is Scottie

Pippen. Scottie Pippen is considered one of the greatest players ever, but he is overshadowed by

Michael Jordan. However, his importance to the team is immense. While Jordan was hard on his

teammates, Pippen had a nurturing personality and helped teammates get better. Without both

Pippen and Jordan, the Bulls would never get to 6 championships in the 90’s.

I want to be a leader, but I know that I will only succeed as the team around me succeeds.

Tar followers, the ones who are no afraid to challenge me but will always have the company’s

best interest, are paramount to being successful. My evidence has shown my development – at

the company I work for, iEXCELL, I attempt to be both a leader and a follower. My parents are
my boss, and I listen to what they say and help them grow the company. Meanwhile, I am

unafraid to voice my objections and I carry out their agenda with my own team. This has made

me a star follower – I help lead the robotics division by developing curriculum and getting teams

reads for competition. Meanwhile, I take what my parents need done and get it done. The

evidence is a picture demonstrating my leadership: a trophy representing a team I mentored to a

state trophy. I also have attached an example of followership with one of my lessons for a

programming class I have been creating under the direction of my parents. I look forward to

developing this skill further in the future.