Followership

This week in class, we discussed to idea of followership. Followership basically states that in order for leaders to be leaders they must have followers. We also discussed the importance of followers in a movement, as well as what makes a good or bad follower. If there are no followers in a movement to create change, then the movement being done will either not be completed or will not gain the popularity it needs to continue for a longer period of time. A movement or organization doesn’t just need any type of follower, it needs good followers, willing to engage, participate and argue, not bad followers who will either do nothing or not engage. 

For example, this week I decided to go onto a couple of websites that are featured by certain authors to see if either or both authors had recent works published that I had not read so that I could read some books over spring break. While doing this, I realized that if either of these authors had not had followers willing to buy their books, neither author would be as popular as they are today, and maybe one or both of the authors would not in the business of writing books. These authors also needed good followers, ones committed to reading more books they were producing, either for a series or just in general, so that when other books came out on the market, they would receive money from sales. These authors depend on followers to keep them employed, therefore the idea of followership is one that is prevalent concerning their job.

I then decided to go onto the Forever 21 and American Eagle online shopping sites to see if either of them had anything cute for spring or summer break. I once again realized that followership plays a major role in their survival as a store, especially during he time of the Recession. If Forever 21 or American Eagle do not offer sales or clothing that the consumer might want to purchase, then both companies have a drop in sales, resulting in debt accumulating, which, if repeated several times over a year, could constitute either American Eagle or Forever 21 to declare bankruptcy. So, they need to provide clothing and accessories that the public will purchase. These stores also need people who will only or mostly buy their clothing. In short, they need costumers that want to return to their stores to buy more things. They also need to offer these returning customers with coupons and other savings that will keep them coming back for more. By offering incentives, such as AEREWARD$ and discounts, these stores are able to stay afloat in a time where many are saving money versus spending it. The people who will return to the store to buy more are, in essence, good followers that are good for the business of the company. So, in conclusion, stores rely heavily on followership in order to stay afloat in a time of economic crisis.