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Today, one of the greatest concerns for all Americans - leaders and followers alike – is how their prosperity seems to depend on a shrinking foundation of technology-only growth. And the onset of artificial intelligence only threatens to marginalize people even more with job loss and increasing isolation inside the few remaining jobs that it will leave behind.
To older Americans whose parents uprooted themselves from the farm for the blue-collar jobs in our factories during most of the prior century, the future feels like it’s happening without them. Likewise, younger generations are battling for relevance - but for different reasons. Millennial stigmas heaped on them by the generations they are replacing has added confusion, misdirection and workplace productivity problems for people already struggling to adapt and serve their fundamental human needs.
Fisher helps us understand that business growth fueled by labor productivity does not rely on leadership as we’ve come to celebrate it, but on our ability to sustain loyalty and commitment to one another– a following if you will - inside and outside our workplaces. When we recognize and understand our historical Followership Cycles, we can then reimagine and reengineer our workplaces to meet the demand of all Americans for a better future.
New Giants Rising takes us on a journey of the Followership Cycles of our recent centuries. And, more importantly, it puts forth a plan of action - voiced very simply by Henry Ford during the last cycle over a century ago when he faced the same moment then as we do now:
"Coming Together is the Start. Keeping Together is Progress. Working Together is Success."
