Dr. Toye Sobande, a strategic leadership expert, warns that unthinking obedience can lead to institutional failures, challenging the conventional view of followership as mere compliance. In the fourth installment of his series on followership, Sobande argues that catastrophic events often stem from individuals who executed their roles with precision but lacked critical judgment. 'The most dangerous people in history were rarely the masterminds,' he writes. 'They were the excellent followers who never asked what they were following.'
Sobande’s analysis builds on three weeks of exploring the virtues of followership—loyalty, reliability, and discipline—while highlighting their potential for harm when divorced from ethical discernment. He contends that these qualities, when applied to flawed objectives, can enable 'unstoppable mistakes' within organizations. 'A team that follows without judgment does not stop being obedient when the cause stops being worthy,' he explains. 'It just follows, over the edge, in perfect formation.'
The professor emphasizes that true followership requires a 'discernment' to distinguish between loyalty to a person and commitment to a mission. 'You must decide whether you are following a person or a mission,' Sobande writes. 'The day will come when the two diverge, and everything depends on which one you are actually loyal to.' He outlines a progression of actions for ethical followers: questioning, pushing back with 'upward truth-telling,' refusing participation in unethical decisions, and, in extreme cases, leaving an organization.
Sobande cautions against conflating contrarianism with conscience. 'The person who follows nothing... is not discerning; they are merely difficult,' he states. Real discernment, he argues, involves 'following fully and gladly when the thing is worthy' and resisting only when 'something genuinely deserves resistance.' He challenges readers to reflect on their own habits: 'If you cannot remember the last time you followed wholeheartedly, your refusals are not principled.'
The series concludes with a call to action for individuals to evaluate their commitments. 'Choose one thing you are following this week... and ask it plainly: does this deserve my following?' Sobande writes. He asserts that leadership is not merely about ascending to the summit but mastering the 'discipline' of followership—'the wisdom to choose what is worth following and the strength to follow it completely, or the courage to stop.'
Sobande, a professor of management and CEO of Stephens Leadership Consultancy LLC, has spent decades advising businesses and leaders on strategic decision-making. His work underscores the importance of ethical frameworks in organizational culture. 'Following well and refusing well are not opposites,' he writes. 'They are the same mastery, seen in two different seasons.'
The article raises broader public-interest questions about accountability in institutions. By framing followership as a critical leadership skill, Sobande challenges systems that prioritize obedience over moral clarity. His insights resonate in contexts where bureaucratic compliance has enabled systemic failures, from corporate fraud to policy missteps. 'The leader who masters it does not descend to it,' he concludes. 'They rise through it, and they never, at any altitude, stop.'
Sobande’s reflections come amid ongoing debates in Nigeria about governance and institutional integrity. While the article does not directly address local issues, its themes align with calls for ethical leadership in public and private sectors. The piece also indirectly critiques a culture where 'following' is often equated with loyalty, regardless of the outcome.
The original article, published by BusinessDay Nigeria, is part of a four-part series exploring leadership dynamics. It does not cite specific incidents but uses historical and theoretical examples to illustrate its arguments. Sobande’s analysis is grounded in his expertise as an executive coach and author of leadership-focused works.
The piece concludes with a challenge to readers: 'If it does not [deserve your following], begin the harder work of questioning it before the day you wish you had.' This call to self-reflection underscores the series’ central thesis—that effective followership requires both commitment and the courage to disengage when necessary.
Sobande’s work highlights a critical gap in leadership discourse: the need to balance obedience with ethical judgment. His framework offers a lens for evaluating organizational behavior, particularly in contexts where blind adherence to authority has led to public harm. The article’s relevance extends beyond corporate settings, urging individuals to scrutinize their roles in societal systems.