follow the leader
Copycat children's activity
Follow the leader is a children's game where one player leads and others must imitate their actions—walking, jumping, gesturing.
The phrase extends to any situation where people copy a leader's behavior without independent thought: The industry has been playing follow the leader since Apple launched the iPhone.
It often implies mindless imitation rather than genuine leadership.
Power to enforce obedience
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- guidanceAdvice for decisions
- directionWay something faces
- front-runnerLikely winner
trailblazer · pioneer · pacesetter · captain · chief · head · guide · conductor
Conformity-driven poor decisions
- bandwagonSurging popular cause
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- obedienceCompliance with authority
uniformity · orthodoxy · acquiescence · consensus · assimilation · homogeneity · norms · docility
Identifier or classifier
- hopscotchTossing and jumping game
- sardinesSmall canned herring relatives
- leapfrogVault over stooped players
- playgroundChildren's outdoor recreation space
recess · children · single-file · line · procession · chase · rules · turns
authority
Power to enforce obedience
front-runner · trailblazer · pioneer · pacesetter · captain · chief · head · guide · conductor · pathfinder
groupthink
Conformity-driven poor decisions
- bandwagonSurging popular cause
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- complianceAdhering to requirements
obedience · uniformity · orthodoxy · acquiescence · consensus · assimilation · homogeneity · norms · docility · submission
tag
Identifier or classifier
- hopscotchTossing and jumping game
- sardinesSmall canned herring relatives
- leapfrogVault over stooped players
playground · recess · children · single-file · line · procession · chase · rules · turns · elimination
mimicry
Adaptive resemblance to another
parroting · echo · emulation · modeling · reproduction · reenactment · shadowing · trailing · copying · repetition
- conformityconformity, conforming, conform, conformist, conformism
- social conformityconformist, peer pressure, herd mentality, groupthink, fit in
- playground gamestag, hide and seek, hopscotch, freeze, capture the flag
- music gameskaraoke, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, sing-alongs, rhythm games
- folk dancessquare dances, jig, square dance, polka, line dance
- climbing activitiesclimb, rise, hike, trek, rock wall
follow the leadermusical chairs
Competitive seat-grabbing game
tag · hide and seek · capture the flag · dodgeball · relay race
follow the leadernonconformity
Rejection of prevailing norms
free spirit · rebel · lone wolf · civil disobedience · bucking the trend
follow the leaderdemocracy
Rule by the people
consensus building · self-governance · egalitarianism · anarchy · grassroots organizing
follow, leader, follows, followed, following, follower, followers, lead, leads