About a century ago, the great Mary Parker Follett wrote a classic article entitled “The Essentials of Leadership.” While it’s rich for many reasons, I like it because it acknowledges the critical role of the follower in organizational life. The idea of “followership” elevates the role of people in organizations by suggesting that everyone has both leadership power and responsibility. Everyone is responsible for leading themselves — and for being a fully contributing member of their team. To Follett, followership was active and important. It completed the equation that is leadership