Journey with Della

I could not believe my eyes as I drove home that night. Every bar was open and crowds of people gathered around empty beer bottles, laughing loudly and leaning on each other like family members who just learned that one of them had finally had a breakthrough. It wasn’t only the fact that the people were there that baffled me, it was what one of the participants at a seminar I was leading had said just before I left the venue for home.

“My brother just called me to say the government has announced a reopening of the night clubs, bars, and restaurants after 6pm so people can celebrate Labor Day” were his exact words.

But, but, but… I had stammered until finally gave up on responding. His brother must be mistaken, I hoped. That cannot be, I thought to myself. This pandemic is not yet in control. Not only is the Coronavirus a reality, our nation has the highest number of confirmed cases in Central Africa. So, for the life of me, I couldn’t find the mental space to process what I had just heard.

Driving home, I felt pain in my chest. I was angry. I was frustrated. I was so irritated that I went mute. On reaching home I read a copy of the Prime Minister’s communique and, in addition to all that was already going on inside me emotionally, I was overtaken by such deep sadness that all I could do was go to sleep.

When I woke up in the wee hours of the next morning, all I could feel was fury. I was wounded (a Cameroonian expression used to refer to when one is angry beyond words; so angry that one could bleed blood) at my fellow citizens. Not all of them. Those ones who were “enjoying themselves” in those bars when I drove by the previous night.

Have they no sense? They might as well just go and jump in front of a speeding truck because the government said so! These thoughts, and others that are better left unsaid, preoccupied my mind. Then other reports of different reactions to the announcement starting coming in. Everything from those who thought that corona was neither a reality nor as serious as they made it seem to those who now considered it one more weapon in the government’s armory for self-aggrandizement. And then there were those whose trust in their government led them into thinking that the battle with corona must be over for them to make such an announcement.

Usually, people look to their leaders for direction in challenging times. They trust that they know better and make decisions with their best interests at heart. But one thing was clear in this instance. The government was not thinking about the wellbeing of the people. Their pockets were empty and they were looking to replenish them, never mind that this move would endanger the lives of countless helpless Cameroonians. It was not the first, and most certainly wouldn’t be the last.

As glaring as this was from the text of the press release, another thing was more obvious. Not all Cameroonians had taken to the bars and clubs the previous night. Some were as heartbroken as I was and rather than jump to the streets were actually tightening safety measures for all in their circle of influence. This begs the question – what kind of follower are you?

Scholars have identified different types of followers based on two key dimensions – engagement and critical thinking – but that is not the focus of this post. To read more about the different types of followers from leader and follower perspectives, follow this link. Permit me, however, to highlight 3 simple things that you can do as a follower in these uncertain times.

1. Think for yourself: When all is said and done, the only person who really has your interests at heart is you (not unless you are suicidal). But assuming that leaders too care about your unique circumstances, thinking for yourself is a sine qua non for healthy followership. Consider all options side by side and you would certainly arrive at a more informed application for any decisions made by your leaders. Failure to think for themselves is actually to blame for the suffering of some individuals than the mere fact that leaders made decisions without considering their wellbeing. Good leaders appreciate followers who think for themselves.
2. Act out of personal conviction: Actually it goes without saying for the follower who thinks that acting out of conviction should follow. If the only reason why you do anything is because someone said so, it is insufficient. So someone said so, well, do you agree? The only actions whose consequences you will be equipped to deal with are those that came out of personal conviction. The consequences of each action as well as their effects on you will vary from situation to situation but one thing is certain – there will be consequences.
3. Don’t be compliant: Like Chaleff said, leadership and followership are two sides of the same coin. By implication, no follower is obliged to comply to all that the leaders decide especially if it does not serve their own interests. In a pandemic like Covid-19, governments will take decisions compelled by other reasons besides the wellbeing of its citizens. In those times, you must exercise your right to self-determination. Compliant followership is equally to be blamed for bad outcomes as poor leadership. And I know that there are probably numerous complicated reasons why you may not be able to do what effective followers do, but whatever you do, don’t do nothing.

Next time before you blame your leaders for anything at all, ask yourself what kind of follower you are.