The ILA Followership Community Watercooler conversation ended for 2025, with Leah Sheberaci announcing the passing of the torch and discussing upcoming events. The 2026 International Leadership Association Global Conference was confirmed for October 29th through November 1st in Toronto, Canada, while the Global Followership Conference was scheduled for April 1st-2nd in Brisbane and July 7th-9th at Indiana Wesleyan University. Mike, who is on the Global Followership Conference Committee, was invited to share details about the conference.
Dr. Mike Linville, co-chairing with Mark Reneker, announced the theme for the upcoming Followership MIG event as "Followership Context," inspired by Ira's discussions. Leah highlighted the availability of engaging notes from previous water coolers featuring Ron Riggio, Mark, and others, and formally passed the torch to Dr. Mike Linville for the 2026 Followership MIG chairmanship. Dr. Linville, with extensive experience in corporate and nonprofit sectors, discussed his research interests and upcoming projects, including a third edition of the book "Essentials of Followership." Dr. Mike expressed gratitude to Leah for her leadership of the Followership MIG and highlighted the group's ongoing journey to establish its place in the leadership sphere. Leah announced Dr. Jen Strong as the 2027 chair-elect, and Jen shared her excitement about joining the group and her upcoming presentation on growth mindset for leaders. The conversation ended with Leah inviting participants to share research updates, starting with Micah.
Maike presented her research progress in followership, including publishing articles, giving presentations, and organizing a virtual conference to promote cross-cultural perspectives. Sarah discussed her work on implementing followership concepts in Swiss military doctrine, inspired by the British Armed Forces' followership doctrine. Debra shared her doctoral research on leadership constructs in Canadian workplaces, focusing on antecedents and outcomes of followership and leadership. Kyle Payne, unable to attend, shared a video presentation on his research on ethical followership among professional engineers, outlining his theoretical framework and future research plans.
The meeting focused on discussions about followership, leadership, and its cultural implications. Jacqueline shared her thoughts on the power dynamics in organizations and the importance of recognizing followership as a form of power. Eddie discussed his experiences integrating followership into higher education and training marketing communications teams. Pamela highlighted her work on followership in healthcare, emphasizing its role in building diverse and productive teams. Dr. G mentioned a critical thinking training program, while Nana introduced a research study on the cultural implications of followership across different settings. Fran shared an interactive research tool on followership, and Lew offered his assistance with pro bono research. The conversation ended with Debra explaining her shift to qualitative research to de-center leadership and Leah thanking everyone for their contributions.