The recent International Leadership Association (ILA) conference in Chicago was a powerful reminder of the evolving landscape of leadership—and the equally essential role of followership in shaping successful teams, organizations, and societies. This year, leaders, scholars, and practitioners from around the world explored topics ranging from entrepreneurial ecosystems and adaptive change to the state of democracy and leadership education. Yet one theme stood out above all others: the undeniable importance of followership.

Followership: The Key to Leadership’s Future

At the ILA conference’s closing plenary session, 500 attendees answered three critical questions about leadership preparation:

• What do we need to teach early leaders to prepare for leadership in 25 years?
• What is needed in leadership development programs?
• What does research need to focus on to prepare for the future?

The answer to all three: Followership.

This collective emphasis marks a turning point, recognizing that leadership cannot exist without followership. As explored in Leadership Is Half the Story by Hurwitz and Hurwitz (2015), leadership and followership are partners in generative success, driving collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

Throughout the conference, sessions underscored followership’s importance:

• Adaptive Followership empowers followers to navigate change, assess leaders, and build resilience.
• World Cafe Insights revealed how followership evolves—maintaining, reframing, or transforming traditional paradigms.
• Challenging Assumptions showcased how cultural and organizational biases shape perceptions of leadership and followership.

The message was clear: To prepare for a complex future, we must teach, integrate, and study followership as a core leadership skill. In today’s world of rapid change, followership is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Transforming Venture Capital to Empower Communities

One keynote panelist, Sona Wang, shared her groundbreaking work in venture capital, focusing on increasing access to capital and mentorship for women and minority entrepreneurs.

• Inroads Capital Partners: As co-founder of the first VC fund in the country to intentionally target underrepresented entrepreneurs, Sona emphasized the transformative power of economic empowerment.
• A New Approach to Startup Culture: She contrasted the confrontational, “Gold Rush” mentality of Silicon Valley startups—which can be especially challenging for women—with Inroads’ more supportive, mentorship-focused environment.
• Ripple Effects: When women and minority founders succeed, entire communities flourish. Sona’s work highlights how venture capital can create broad, positive social impact.

Wang’s message was clear: True leadership involves breaking barriers, fostering inclusion, and ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table.

Sona’s critique of Silicon Valley’s ‘Gold Rush’ culture and her emphasis on creating supportive environments for women and minority entrepreneurs align closely with my study on leadership and followership in startups, which highlights the need for collaborative leadership and adaptive followership to foster healthier, more inclusive startup ecosystems. Read about my study >>

Investing in Innovation and Leadership

Chicago’s growing prominence as an innovation hub was another focal point, underscoring the city’s role in driving collaboration, economic opportunity, and leadership development.

• Chan Zuckerberg Biohub: Local universities and organizations collaborated to secure this game-changing initiative, which will fuel innovation in healthcare and technology.
• The Obama Center: A $1 billion “laboratory of change” currently under construction, the center aims to train a new generation of leaders while unlocking the entrepreneurial spirit of underserved communities.
• Advice for Emerging Leaders: Panelists encouraged participants to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset—spotting opportunities, building complementary teams, and leading with vision.

These initiatives highlight Chicago as a city at the intersection of tradition and transformation, serving as a model for innovation-led leadership.

Leadership in Times of Change

In the session, Transition Dynamics: Trust and Followership During Organizational Change — A Continuation, which I led with Mitchell Gurick and Vailet Yarijanian, we explored the challenges of leadership transitions and their profound impact on followers:

• The Cost of Change: Rapid or unsupported leadership changes can lead to distrust, disengagement, and a phenomenon known as “quiet quitting.”
• Transparency Matters: While transparency is crucial, it can overwhelm followers if not managed carefully. Leaders must communicate clearly and empathetically.
• Guiding Frameworks: Tools like the ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Action, Reinforcement) offer practical strategies to guide followers through change effectively.
• Engaging Followers: Leaders must prioritize dialogue, observe emotional reactions, and recognize hidden talents within their teams to maintain morale and trust.

The session reinforced that successful change requires leaders and followers working in partnership to navigate uncertainty and build resilience.

More to come on this topic this year!

Followership and Democracy: Insights from Ira Chaleff

In a session that resonated deeply with myself and so many other attendees, Ira Chaleff highlighted the critical role of followership in political and organizational contexts. Drawing from his new book, To Stop a Tyrant, Chaleff emphasized that:

• Followers Make or Break Leaders: Followers hold immense power to enable or interrupt authoritarian trajectories. Recognizing early signs of authoritarian behavior and acting decisively can prevent the progression toward tyranny.
• Balancing Loyalty: Effective followers balance loyalty to leaders with loyalty to higher principles—ensuring decisions prioritize collective well-being over individual charisma or self-interest.
• Navigating Stress and Denial: Societal and organizational stressors can drive followers to justify harmful leadership choices. Chaleff explored the psychodynamics of tyranny, such as scapegoating and the longing for “savior” figures, urging followers to remain vigilant.

The session underscored the importance of political maturity and informed followership, especially in today’s polarized and uncertain global climate. Followers must stay active, aware, and committed to accountability, serving as the “guardrails” for democracy and ethical leadership.

Bridging Divides and Fostering Inclusive Leadership

One keynote panel offered a multifaceted analysis of global leadership challenges, focusing on democracy, systemic understanding, and the role of civil society:

• Bridging Divides: Leaders must prioritize inclusive strategies over polarization, as demonstrated by successful democratic movements in places like Poland and Venezuela. Economic concerns often outweigh ideological divides, requiring leaders to show how they will improve lives.
• The Role of Positive Peace: Beyond resolving conflict, “positive peace” focuses on building systemic well-being, human flourishing, and ecological sustainability. Leaders must move beyond simplistic cause-and-effect thinking to tackle political and social complexities.
• Civic Education and Media: Reviving civic education and addressing media polarization were identified as critical for strengthening democratic institutions and combating disinformation.

The panel emphasized that leadership grounded in compassion, systemic understanding, and ethical followership can help rebuild trust and address societal fragmentation.

Fostering “Everyday Leadership”: Self-Improvement and Community Impact

Sessions on leadership education, particularly a panel with the Presidents of Simmons University and Claremont McKenna College, underscored the importance of integrating leadership into everyday life rather than reserving it for formal roles. Key takeaways included:

• Lifelong Learning: Leadership development must extend beyond formal training and encourage ongoing personal growth. Simmons emphasized that leaders must continuously refine their strengths and skills to adapt to changing contexts.
• Self-Improvement: Effective leadership begins with understanding oneself. Frameworks centered on self-reflection, civic engagement, and strengths-based development empower individuals to lead authentically.
• Collective Impact: Leadership education must prioritize not just individual success but community improvement. Simmons’ programs focus on teamwork, inclusion, and addressing societal challenges, particularly in areas like health, wealth, education, and citizenship.

These approaches redefine leadership as an accessible and intentional practice, enabling individuals at all levels to contribute meaningfully to their organizations and communities.

Adapting Leadership to Cultural Norms

Research on honor-based leadership prototypes highlighted how cultural norms shape leadership styles, behaviors, and gender dynamics:

• Honor Cultures: Common in resource-scarce or high-stress environments, these cultures value reputation, respect, and self-protective leadership (SPL)—a style marked by assertiveness and control. Gender disparities are also more pronounced, with fewer women in leadership roles.
• Context Matters: Effective leadership requires understanding cultural expectations and adapting styles to foster trust and success.

The session underscored the need for culturally intelligent leadership—an approach that balances adaptability, inclusivity, and core values to navigate today’s global, diverse environments.

Leadership and Change Management

In a session led by Sarah Von Felton, Switzerland’s unique leadership and organizational practices provided a compelling case study on managing change in complex systems within the Swiss Militia System:

• The Swiss Militia System: Von Felton discussed Switzerland’s militia-based model for national defense, emphasizing its role in maintaining neutrality, crisis management, and fostering collective responsibility among citizens.
• Change Management in Complex Environments: She outlined a structured approach to change leadership, highlighting the importance of:
  • Visionary Leadership: Providing clear direction to minimize resistance and optimize engagement.
  • Catalysts for Change: Globalization, technological advancements, societal vulnerability, and shifts in warfare are driving the need for adaptive leadership.
  • Key Principles: Successful change management relies on stakeholder engagement, adaptability, empowering others, and measurable outcomes.
• Vision 2030: Switzerland’s Vision 2030 initiative focuses on building resilient systems, leveraging modern technology, and fostering international cooperation to prepare for future challenges.

Von Felton’s session demonstrated how visionary and adaptable leadership, grounded in shared responsibility and cultural context, can guide organizations and nations through periods of significant change.

Conclusion

The 2024 ILA Conference underscored a powerful truth: leadership and followership are inseparable forces driving success in an increasingly complex world. From reimagining startup cultures and fostering civic leadership to managing change, bridging divides, and adapting to cultural contexts, the sessions highlighted the need for leaders and followers to act as partners in building inclusive, adaptable systems. The insights shared at this year’s conference offer a roadmap for creating resilient organizations, empowered communities, and a more equitable world.