The meeting focused on the importance of followership in leadership studies and its broader societal implications. Ira Chaleff, a leading voice in followership, shared insights on power dynamics, ethical leadership, and the need to integrate followership more deeply into various sectors and educational programs. Discussions also covered the concept of courageous followership, the role of political followership in preventing tyranny, and the potential for expanding followership studies across different academic disciplines and professional fields.
ILA Followership Community Update
Leah, the chair of the ILA Followership Community for 2025, welcomed attendees to the community's water cooler meeting, highlighting upcoming events like the ILA Global Conference in Prague and a call for book chapter submissions. She introduced Ira Chaleff, a leading voice in followership and ethical leadership, who reflected on the progress made since the first Followership Conference in 2006. Ira expressed gratitude for the introduction and mentioned his recent work on ethical followership and resistance to authoritarianism.
Balancing Power for Effective Leadership
Ira discussed her journey in exploring power dynamics and leadership, particularly focusing on balancing power within systems to prevent abuse while ensuring sufficient power for effective action. She shared her personal motivation, rooted in her grandmother's Holocaust experience, and how this led to her work on power balance, which evolved into her book "The Courageous Follower." Ira highlighted her unique position to write this book, drawing from her experience coaching politicians, working with Congress, and engaging in international platforms, allowing her to offer a balanced perspective on power dynamics across political and corporate spheres.
Elevating Followership in ILA
Ira emphasized the need to elevate followership beyond an interest group within the ILA, suggesting that it should be more integrated into the organization's purpose and conferences. He highlighted that followership research often focuses on small-scale studies, which, while providing data, do not address the broader societal need for understanding followership's role in education and power dynamics. Ira also stressed the importance of acknowledging the darker aspects of leadership, contrasting it with the current industry's focus on leadership's positive aspects.
Expanding Ethical Followership Discourse
Ira discussed the evolution of the followership community, highlighting its shift from advocating for equal importance to addressing the "dark side" of followership, where followers are pressured to engage in unethical behavior due to flawed systems. He emphasized the need to explore followership beyond academia and to engage with other communities, such as the medical, pharmaceutical, and military sectors, to promote ethical organizational practices. Ira also mentioned the upcoming release of an audio book on followership, with a shorter subtitle, and offered to provide free copies of his book for educators teaching relevant classes.
Nonpartisan Followership Education Initiatives
Ira discussed the concept of political followership and its role in preventing tyrannical leadership, emphasizing the need for a nonpartisan approach to understanding the dynamics between leaders and followers. Seymour expressed interest in creating educational programs to teach young people about leadership and followership, highlighting the importance of values, ethics, and purpose. Ira acknowledged the expertise in the group and suggested that the existing wisdom could be used to develop educational tools, without the need for additional input from him.
Courageous Followership and Leadership
Ira discussed the concept of courageous followership, emphasizing the importance of social courage and the ability to speak up despite power differentials. He highlighted the need for leaders to reduce the need for courage in their followers and introduced the idea of using different voices, such as assertive and diplomatic, effectively. Ira also touched on the importance of political savvy in navigating difficult situations and getting perspectives taken seriously. He concluded by praising Mark Rennaker and his colleague Mike Linville for their leadership in transforming their department into one focused on both leadership and followership studies.
Integrating Followership in Academic Programs
Mark and Ira discussed the importance of incorporating followership into academic and professional programs alongside leadership. Mark shared insights from his dissertation work on courage and followership, emphasizing its transformative impact on leadership students. He suggested that every degree program should include both leadership and followership courses. Ira encouraged expanding collaborations beyond leadership programs to other departments like civics, government, and sociology, arguing that followership is relevant across various fields.
Followership Initiatives for 2026 Conference
Ira challenged Mark to start laying the groundwork for bringing followership into different contexts at the 2026 Followership Conference at Indiana Wesleyan. Mark accepted the challenge and mentioned having conversations about reaching out to various groups, including faith and healthcare focuses. Wajeehah shared her work on political skills and courageous followership in the nursing sector in Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of followership in transforming generations and nations.
Courage in Healthcare and Beyond
Ira and Wajeehaghias discussed the prevalence of courageous behavior in the nursing and healthcare sector, particularly in life-and-death situations. Ira highlighted the importance of assertiveness training in high-stakes environments, drawing parallels to the airline industry and safety regulations. They explored potential applications of this concept in other sectors such as law enforcement, mental health, and military intelligence. Ira shared an example of her work with safety officers in British Columbia, emphasizing the importance of understanding when obedience can be unsafe.