Political Leaders and Followers: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Abstract

This article examines the question of and paths to political leadership. This is done as a preface to analyzing varying perspectives on leadership, principally those of the elitist and participatory types. An assessment of political leadership follows, one that emphasizes, among other things, that a good leader must have authority, a following, efficiency, and effectiveness, as well as the ability to confront reality and communicate its outlines to followers; to give followers a sense of being part of the solution to problems, that is, of participating as active followers; and to tell followers truths they prefer not to hear.