Although it is common to believe that all leaders can be followed, this statement is inaccurate. Not all followers have the ability to become leaders. This concept is best illustrated when you compare servant leadership and followership, especially in the military setting. It is important to know what leadership means. Epitropaki, Kark and Mainemelis (2017) state that leadership is about providing direction. This is a skill that takes experience. According to Davis (2017), servant leadership is putting others’ needs before your own and developing those below. To be a leader, you must learn from and observe others in the leadership role. Respect is an essential aspect of servant leadership. Serving others is based on respecting their leaders and not using their position to benefit or degrade them. All followers must respect their leaders, as well as their peers. Like the army, followers and leaders share the same respect. If you don’t show respect for your peers, you aren’t acknowledging their inputs. This is against servant leadership principles. Self-consciousness is the second principle of servant leadership and following, which can be found in many places, such as the army. Everyone has their ups and downs. It is not possible to be self-conscious and aware of the differences between you and your fellow soldiers. Understanding others is the foundation of servant leadership and follower leadership. Day, Lord Murphy, Steffens (2016) state that the servant leader must be aware and sensitive to the needs and difficulties of those around him/her in order for them to make improvements. The follower should do the same. Despite having many similarities, servant leader and follower differ in many ways, mainly with regard to the amount of interaction. Serving as a leader requires that you have a number of relationships. You can also choose to take on servant leadership. The follower, on the other hand, has very few relationships with leaders and must follow them, which can be difficult. It is not easy to be a follower. In order to be a servant leader, obedience is required, but followership requires it. For example, military followers must be attentive to the leader’s instructions and follow them. The leader’s direction is the only thing that matters. Followership depends on following his or her lead. Serving as an educator and leader, the servant-leader serves two roles: that of a guide and teacher. The servant leader is an independent thinker and seeks out advice from other leaders. They are free to choose their own direction and follow the advice of others, provided they do so. In general, servant leadership is similar to followership. Serving others and being a servant leader are both based on respect for oneself and others. They are however equally different. Grounding is a way of defining a relationship. While servant leadership allows the leader to choose between different relationships, followership is a one-to-one relationship. The two may not agree on the importance of obedience.
