To be an effective leader, one needs good followers. About 70–90 percent of all work in organizations is performed by people in follower roles. The word followers suffers from political incorrectness; yet it is a neutral term as used by leadership researchers. Followership has become so important that some organizations offer training in the subject.

Training in followership often focuses on how to take responsibility for shared goals, being a self-starter, and providing constructive feedback to leaders when they make mistakes. In some high-risk occupations, such as an airplane crew member, followership skills are so important that formal training in this behavior is a formal requirement.

Most of the topics in our study of leadership are aimed at inspiring, motivating, and influencing group members to achieve organizational goals. It is valuable to focus on three key aspects of being an effective group member: types of followers, characteristics of productive followers, and the importance of collaboration.