The Courageous Follower, 3rd Edition

Book description

Many significant failures—from FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina to the recent economic collapse—could have been prevented or mitigated if those lower in the hierarchy were successful at communicating to leaders the risks they saw in the system. Ira Chaleff's Courageous Follower model has facilitated healthy upward information flow in organizations for over 15 years. The Harvard Business Review called Chaleff a pioneer in the emerging field of followership—this new edition shares his latest thinking on an increasingly vital topic.
The updated third edition includes a new chapter, “The Courage to Speak to the Hierarchy.” Much of Chaleff's model is based on followers having access to the leader. But today, followers can be handed questionable policies and orders that come from many levels above them—even from the other side of the world. Chaleff explores how they can respond effectively, particularly using the power now available through advances in communications technology.
Everyone is a follower at least some of the time. Chaleff strips away the passive connotations of that role and provides tools to help followers effectively partner with leaders. He provides rich guidance to leaders and boards on fostering a climate that encourages courageous followership. The results include increased support for leaders, reduced cynicism and organizations saved from serious missteps.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Preface to Third Edition
  7. Preface
  8. Introduction
    1. The Five Dimensions of Courageous Followership
  9. 1. The Dynamics of the Leader-Follower Relationship
    1. The Common Purpose and Core Values
    2. The Paradox of Followership
    3. Who Does a Follower Serve?
    4. Self-Interest and Common Purpose
    5. Loyalty of a Follower
    6. Power in the Leader-Follower Relationship
    7. Value of the Follower
    8. Courage of the Follower
    9. Balance through Relationship
    10. Mature Relationships
    11. Differences in Elevation
    12. Finding Equal Footing with the Leader
    13. When the Leader Isn’t an Equal
    14. Trust
    15. Followers as Leaders
    16. Working with Other Followers
  10. 2. The Courage to Assume Responsibility
    1. Self-Assessment
    2. Followership Style
    3. Eliciting Feedback
    4. Personal Growth
    5. Self-Management
    6. Taking Care of Ourselves
    7. Passion
    8. Initiative
    9. Influencing the Culture
    10. Breaking the Rules
    11. Breaking the Mind-set
    12. Improving Processes
    13. Testing Your Ideas
  11. 3. The Courage to Serve
    1. Conserving a Leader’s Energy
    2. Organizing Communication Processes
    3. Acquiring Access
    4. The Responsibilities of Gatekeeping
    5. Buffering a Leader
    6. Defending the Leader
    7. Buffering Others from a Leader
    8. Acting in the Leader’s Name
    9. Defining a Leader Publicly
    10. Focusing the Creative Leader
    11. Presenting Options
    12. Knowing When You Don’t Know
    13. Avoiding Insularity
    14. Encouraging Peer Relations
    15. Managing Crises
    16. When the Leader Is Ill
    17. Conflict between Leaders
    18. Formal Checkups
    19. Building Relationships with Leaders
  12. 4. The Courage to Challenge
    1. Effective Leadership Behavior
    2. Preparing a Leader for Feedback
    3. Giving a Leader Feedback
    4. Giving a Leader Input
    5. Challenging Indirectly
    6. Avoiding Knee-jerk Rejection
    7. Overcoming Groupthink
    8. The Duty to Obey
    9. Challenging Abuse Early
    10. Challenging the Use of Language
    11. Arrogance
    12. Leaders Who Scream
    13. Personal Issues
    14. Newly Elevated Leaders
    15. Leaders Who Have Other Agendas
    16. Leaders Who Won’t Challenge Their Leaders
    17. Challenge Yourself, Too
  13. 5. The Courage to Participate in Transformation
    1. When Is Transformation Possible?
    2. The Process of Personal Transformation
    3. The Follower’s Role
    4. The Follower as Catalyst
    5. Channeling the Leader’s Frustration
    6. Denial and Justification of Behavior
    7. Dedication to Cause as Justification
    8. Reactions to Confrontation
    9. Identifying Transformation Resources
    10. Using an Outside Facilitator
    11. Creating a Supportive Environment
    12. Modeling Change for a Leader
    13. Modeling Empathy
    14. Containing Abusive Behavior
    15. Positive Reinforcement
    16. Coping with Recurring Behavior
    17. Realistic Expectations
    18. Persistence
    19. Validation
  14. 6. The Courage to Take Moral Action
    1. Leaving
    2. Difficulty of Separation
    3. Financial Contingencies
    4. Offering to Resign
    5. Query and Appeal
    6. The Duty to Disobey
    7. Threatening to Resign
    8. The Dilemma of the “Unreasonable” Leader
    9. Values Review
    10. Follower Self-Examination
    11. The Decision to Withdraw Support
    12. The Responsibility to Blow the Whistle
    13. Protecting Yourself
    14. When Leaders Must Be Opposed
    15. Evil Behavior
    16. If We Decide to Stay
  15. 7. The Courage to Speak to the Hierarchy
    1. The Challenge of Many Hands
    2. Doing the Homework
    3. Framing the Issue to Command Attention
    4. Educating the Hierarchy
    5. Circumventing the Hierarchy
    6. Speaking Up in Multilevel Meetings
    7. Finding Formal Platforms of Influence
    8. Using Informal Platforms of Influence
    9. Influencing the Metrics That Influence Thought
    10. Patience, Performance, and Persistence
  16. 8. The Courage to Listen to Followers
    1. Do You Really Want Courageous Followers?
    2. What Messages Are Number Twos Sending?
    3. Appreciating and Accepting Support
    4. Appreciating Constructive Challenge More
    5. Inviting Creative Challenge
    6. A Culture of Communication, Not Complaints
    7. Creating Protected Communication Channels
    8. Discernment: What Is the Right Action?
    9. The Role of the Board
    10. Responding to a Moral Stand
    11. Growth as Both Leader and Follower
  17. Epilogue
  18. Meditation on Followership
  19. Acknowledgments
  20. Select Bibliography
  21. Index
  22. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: The Courageous Follower, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Ira Chaleff
  • Release date: November 2009
  • Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • ISBN: 9781605092744