The Power of Active Followership—On the Ocean and in the Office
NOLS grad Meredith Lind discovered the power of active followership while sea kayaking in the Marlborough Sounds during her semester in New Zealand. Now a software consultant and developer, Meredith frequently applies the concept of active followership in the office, recognizing that sometimes asking thoughtful questions can be just as informative as years of experience.
“Good leaders get a lot of credit—and they deserve it. But leaders (and teams!) can only thrive if they have active followers.
What do I mean? Let me tell you about an experience I had this year in a very different situation—kayaking off the coast of New Zealand.
‘Look at those dark clouds!’ We all looked up, jolted from our thoughts, to see the bank of storm clouds that had sneaked up while we sat huddled around a map. This was Day 17 out of 87 on a sea kayaking expedition in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and we were stuck.”
