Courageous Follower: Standing Up to & for Our Leaders

Wow! A brilliant book that gives strength to the people who make up our business. This book is a powerful and truly valuable exploration of the followership-leadership dynamic. I have a great appreciation for this work, it offers powerful principles to act on, hope for the creation of a culture of empowerment within any business or organisation and it provides tangible and real actions in the creation process. Every business owner, employer, director and CEO... and of course employee or contractor should read this. When those responsable for doing the work that keeps a company running (the staff or teams) are empowered they become what Ira Chaleff referes to as Courageous Followers. Courageous Followers have the opportunity then to support their leaders in operating from a place of integrity and creating greatness/success. I loved this book. It moved me deeply and answered so many questions on how to support and empower my team... and how they can take responsibility for this same journey.

I ordered this book because it was cited in the material for a course I was taking. As a result of an email I sent to an associate of the author, the author contacted me. He was most helpful in providing information regarding a difficult situation I was facing. When I received the book I was very busy but was able to read the first two chapters. Applying that small amount of information to the problem I was facing I was able to make astounding improvement in a leader/follower relationship. I cannot wait to see the results when I have been able to fully absorb all of the material in this fine book.

This is a significant contribution to the workplace no matter the environment. Chaleff integrates sound principles of human decency with enormous respect for human potential. The result is a practical approach to managing yourself and your leader especially when the stakes are high.

The Courageous Follower is one of the most important books on leadership I've ever read. It is clear that in one way or another, we ALL face the challenges of leadership, perhaps daily. However, it is rare that someone who has been designated a 'leader' considers that they are also a follower with a 'constinuency' - someone they answer to. This book discusses principles designed to encourage the follower AND leader to become assertive, communicative and accountable. Bravo to these brave authors for enlightening us to the art of followership!

Our society's focus on the top dog and our incessant desire to "develop the leader" has left our organizations developing only the management and then blaming leadership when the follower doesn't follow. It's time to re-define the importance and responsibility of the follower. This book is a beautiful, well-written and much-needed approach to defining the leader-follower relationship and the importance of this relationship to the organization. I highly recommend this book for anyone who finds themselves wondering what their role as a follower should be and how to develop the people in your staff who are doing the following.