Leaders will always be more powerful than followers. Defend or refute.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Students who believe leaders are more powerful may point to just how ingrained most cultures are in putting leaders on a pedestal, perhaps even invoking human’s relationship with spirituality and religions that are monotheistic. Students may claim that, by definition, a leader has power over a follower. Students may further point to evidence of volumes of theories and published research and popular literature on leadership, leadership training, leadership development--that leadership is what many societies value. Students may argue that a leader makes a final decision and is thus more powerful in the end and give examples of coaches, professors, presidents, and other positional officials who can--with one decision--impact the lives of dozens or thousands. On the other hand, some students may argue that followers are more powerful because they are, typically, larger in number than leaders and hold much more potential for influence. Students may point to emerging theories of followership that view followers themselves as creating leadership, such that the two concepts begin to overlap to the point that they may become indistinguishable. Students may also argue along the lines of various grassroots movements that have caused major social change in the face of strong or authoritative leaders, using examples such as the civil rights movements, women’s movement, non-violent independence movement led by Gandhi, health care for all movement in Obama-era U.S., and so on.