Followship: The Other Side of Leadership

Leadership gets all the headlines. Teams look for captains, schools hand out leadership awards, and we love the idea of being the one others look up to. But for a Christian athlete, leadership only grows out of something deeper: “followship”.

Followship is the art of following well—listening, learning, obeying, humbling yourself, and trusting God’s direction. Without it, leadership collapses. With it, you grow into the kind of person God can use, on the track and beyond.

Scripture is filled with reminders that before we lead, we must learn to follow.

In track & field, as in life, being a leader is important—but so is being a follower. I use “followship” to mean the discipline, humility, and responsiveness required to follow well: following coaches, following God, following teammates, following process. Without good followship, leadership is hollow or unsustainable. For the Christian athlete, followship is not a “soft” virtue; it is central to growth, character, and impact.

How does the Bible look at “followship” and how following well is part of what God calls us to:

Hebrews 12:1–2 — “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  The idea of a race “marked out for us” means we don’t just blaze our own path; we follow the path God has set, with Christ as our example.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 — “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? … I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after preaching to others I myself should not be disqualified…”   Discipline, self-control, following the rules, committing to the process—these are followship qualities.

Philippians 2:3–4 — “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Following well isn’t only about obeying instructions; it’s about considering others, serving the team, letting humility shape your attitude.

Here are qualities which come out of followship:

1. It keeps you teachable. – No matter how talented, if you’re not open to correction (coaches’ feedback, training, critique), you’ll stagnate. Following well means humility, willingness to learn, receive correction.The best athletes are lifelong learners. Good followship means receiving coaching, correction, and even criticism with humility.
2. It builds discipline. – Following practice schedules, recovery, routines, rest. The track athlete who skips warm-ups or ignores base-building will suffer later. These are acts of followship to a long-term plan.Following a training plan, diet, rest, and recovery routines isn’t glamorous—but it produces results.
3. It strengthens trust. – Trusting coach, trusting God’s timing (e.g. during injury, performance slumps). Followship calls us to trust, even when we don’t see the result yet.Injuries, slumps, and setbacks test whether you’ll trust God’s timing and your coach’s guidance.
4. It shapes character. – How you follow (fairness, humility, honoring others) builds your reputation, reflects Christ. Sometimes following well in small things (e.g. helping with equipment, being kind in locker room) says more than winning meets.How you follow—cheering a teammate, cleaning up after practice, working hard in unnoticed moments—shows your faith more loudly than any medal.
5. It prepares you to lead. – Good leaders often come up through good followship. The athlete who follows well first is more credible, better equipped when leadership roles come (e.g. team captain, peer mentor).Leaders who once followed well lead with empathy, patience, and credibility.
6. You Align with Kingdom Values. – In a Christian framework, we follow Jesus first. That changes how we approach leadership and competition: we don’t lead to glorify ourselves first, but as a response to being led by Christ.

At its core, followship keeps you aligned with God’s kingdom values: humility, obedience, and service.

Training Your Followship

Here are a few practical ways to grow in followship as a Christian athlete:

• Check your heart daily. Ask: Am I competing for God’s glory or my own?
• Ask for feedback. Invite your coach or teammates to point out where you need to listen better.
• Serve in small ways. Carry hurdles, encourage a teammate, stay late to help clean up.
• Anchor in Scripture. Memorize verses like Hebrews 12:1–2 or Colossians 3:23,24 to reframe how you see practice and competition.
• Pray for humility. Ask God for a spirit that follows His lead, even when you don’t understand the “why” yet.

The world tells athletes to lead from the front, to stand out, to dominate. But Christ calls us first to follow. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Followship is not weakness—it’s the training ground of strength. It shapes your character, anchors your identity in Christ, and prepares you to lead when the time is right.

So lace up, get out there, and remember: before you can lead the race, you must first follow the One who marked it out.

Follow Him!

Larry