The Intelligent Questioner
See also Courageous Followership Blog


In Defense of Leadership (and Followership)

International Leadership Association blog post by Sharna Fabiano: “Though tainted as they are with cultural stereotypes, lead and follow are some of the best terms we have to describe what we do when we come together, speak and listen, decide and carry out, and otherwise coordinate around a common goal.”


A Celebration of Followership – Article by Ira Chaleff published in ILA Intersections

The Iternational Leadership Association (ILA) has recently published Ira Chaleff’s article on his latest book A Celebration of Followership. In one of its paragraphs, Ira says: … in every level of society, followership and leadership are intertwined and consequential. Leaders and followers are mutually responsible for positive outcomes of their […]


Courageous Followership in the Military

Make the Time: Think, Connect, & Care – Article by Lt. Col. Karri Roman, 375th Health Care Operations Squadron commander / Published July 12, 2021 @ Scott Airforce Base website. “… The Airman is a courageous follower who takes risk. They ask questions and challenge the status quo; after all, a supervisor’s response such as “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” is rarely accepted…”


Followership: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Article by Ira Chaleff recently published on International Leadership Association (ILA) website. Leadership for the Greater Good: Reflections on Today’s Challenges From Around the World. Followership: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The past 12 months have vividly demostraded the the crucial role followership plays in our communal life. […]


Courageous and Responsible Followers

Thoughtful article on followership by Colette Hoption, faculty fellow at the Center for Business Ethics and an Associate Professor of Managment, Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University. My current fellowship term exploring the responsibilities of leaders and followers began last July outside of Toronto. I joined international scholars […]


Heroic example of Intelligent Disobedience

I received the following message from Alexander Voronov, a colleague in Russia who is one of the handful of international scholars who have deeply studied the works of Stanley Milgram on Obedience. Here is his poignant observation: “Dear Ira: It seems to me that the picture on the cover of the Russian edition of your book Intelligent Disobedience creates associations …”

Heroic example of Intelligent Disobedience

What is this subject we call Followership?

“What’s this subject we call followership really about? For me it’s about how we work collectively while retaining individual accountability. Yes, followership is about the relationship between the leader and follower. But it is s also the relationship between the individual and the group.” This is the opening to the […]