Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Outdated Ideologies: “Leaders” & “Followers”

Babson, as the #1 school of entrepreneurship, prides itself in having world-famous leaders and CEOs. If this put some pressure on you your first year at Babson, don’t worry, we’ve all been there. The ideology that everyone is a leader on the inside is outdated and should not be making anyone feel insecure, even though it is a prominent idea at Babson. It is important to understand that you do not need to be a part of a C-Suite or a manager to be able to be a leader – or that you need to be a leader at all. Here are just some positives to remember about being a follower.

The very first positive is independence. It is needless to say that when you are an employee at a job or just a member of a club, you have a set amount of responsibilities that you know you need to do, which are usually very clearly stated. There is no underlying leadership responsibilities, management or any other backstage situations that you need to worry about. After everything is done, you can go home and relax.

You have more time for yourself. After work or meetings, you have more time to prioritize what YOU want to do without having the stress of managing other people. You can pursue interests outside of your work alongside getting paid or whatever the reward might be.

There is way less stress. This is the best part of being what people call the “follower” is the fact that you do not have to delegate tasks to other people. You can work at your own pace, knowing your deadlines, and will not have to feel pressured with other people’s work, their paces, and their problems. The lack of stress is a blessing, as stress can lead to depression and anxiety, sleep problems, autoimmune diseases, and more.

In conclusion, do what you love. It sounds cliché, but you do not need to go out of your way to be something you do not feel comfortable doing. Do not feel pressured to be a leader or to have to prove that you are. You can do things at your own pace and reach your own point of success. Good luck.