Followership vs Leadership

I used to think that Following and Leading were at two ends of the same spectrum, and that people normally lived in a discrete section of that spectrum. 

Now I believe that all of us follow some context; and at the same time, we also lead our own lives. Both are either consciously chosen or unconsciously concluded.

When I'm told in a dictatorial way how to do something, I don't consider that leading; it actually makes it harder for me to follow. Current example: I was told what to write in a white paper that I had been asked to compose. It wasn't at all what I wanted to write. It was a conundrum for me – lead from my purpose? or follow their purpose?

This last weekend, I was following/leading, and it was not a conundrum at all. I was following a manual; and, at the same time, I was following the group dynamic (which did not follow the manual) … all this WHILE leading the course (Making Money Count, a spiritual and psychological experience regarding money).

I think THAT's the combining of following/leading that really works. Leading the way while following something bigger (the More To Life context) and wider (the human dynamic).

Bottom line, we are all following a context that makes sense to us - whether it's religious, familial, a guru, or an organizational ethos. Usually it's a combination blended together that evokes us forward. Within that context, we lead ourselves and others.