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!

This book covers the dynamics of interpersonal relations in the workplace, and focuses on courageous followership that allows conflict to be kept at a minimum and problem solving to be kept at a maximum. The book is based upon values, but it also aptly answers the question of how to earn a living, be productive, and be companionable all at the same time. I read the 1995 edition of this book in 1996, after having 10 years experience in graduate school and the working world. My experience during that time was to live with integrity and sincerity, but I was surprised at the number of people who could not tutor and teach a young adult bouncing around finding his/her way. Determined to do better myself, I continued my professional development and was pleasantly surprised by the first edition, which was a simply written and simply outstanding book on how to act simply professionally. This newest edition continues to describe values allowing people at all organizational levels to act with integrity and sincerity. I have had the opportunity to tutor several people in my newest job, and have done so in a self-effacing and person-centered manner incumbent upon a courageous follower.

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.