The Courageous Follower

"Leaders and followers who find themselves in constantly shifting configurations need to find a mutual place for their loyalty that transcends the impermanence of their relationship, yet bonds them in a framework of trust."

"Courage is the great balancer of power in relationships. An individual who is not afraid to speak and act on the truth as she perceives it, despite external inequities in a relationship, is a force to be reckoned with."

"Self-assessment and feedback help us determine in what ways it would be desirable for us to change, to grow. Growth requires courage; it is a continuous process of exposing our vulnerable areas, areas where we have not developed mastery."

"Willingness to initiate action without being instructed to do so is a distinguishing characteristic of the courageous follower."

"Gatekeepers need to guard against becoming arrogant and indifferent to the needs of those seeking access to the leader."

"We must not expect perfection from our leaders as this contributes to the delusion of the infallible leader. We are right to expect, however, that leaders substantively live up to the image we are projecting with their agreement."

"A creative culture emerges when there is a commitment to broadening participation and seeking diverse perspectives, to challenging the status quo and the obvious solution."

"In addition to challenging policies, we may have to challenge behavior that violates our values and undermines the common purpose."

"The essential steps that make transformation possible are the acknowledgment of the need for change, the admission of blemish, the owning of responsibility, and a glimpse of the potential to become something better."

"Successful transformation is assisted by reinforcement when we are successful at changing a behavior and disconfirmation when we are not. Reinforcement and disconfirmation require an outside agent, and followers can perform this role for a leader."

"When fundamental values conflict, when core policy differences are not treated seriously, or when transformation efforts deteriorate to lip service, threatening to withdraw support is an important moral tool."