Followership at the FDIC: A Case Study

Abstract

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), an independent agency of the U.S. Federal government, has been instructing employees in the tenants of followership since 2009. As part of a multi-pronged approach to create a more empowered workforce and enhance trust in leadership, instruction in followership has helped to raise the FDIC from the bottom third on the best places to work in the Federal government to first place. This paper examines teaching the tenants of followership as an integral part of building individual competency in leading oneself and fostering an organizational culture of shared leadership.