To Stop a Tyrant

Book excerpt: Whatever your political beliefs, you are likely to be concerned about the potential impact of destructive political leaders on your country and those you love. You may want to do something about this but feel limited in your ability to make a difference. Based on his extensive experience in the political world, Ira Chaleff demonstrates that we have more power than we think. But this power must be used in timely and politically savvy ways. He unpacks the choices for action depending on our circle of influence in relation to leaders—both those we support and oppose—and identifies the window of opportunity for interrupting a progression from governance to tyrannical rule. The window in which you need to act before it closes. Chaleff spent thirty years with a non-partisan organization in Washington, D.C., working to improve communication between constituents and their elected representatives. He has seen the best and worst of both Democrats and Republicans. He understands the influential role played by their staffs and constituents. He will show you, too, how to make a difference. Building on the success of his award-winning books, The Courageous Follower and Intelligent Disobedience, Chaleff’s timely new book provides a map for creating better political leadership—the leadership we crave for our communities and our nation – through better followership. His work with the US Congress took him to engagements in countries struggling to establish viable democracies after years of dictatorial rule. His work with federal executive-branch agencies gave him further insight into the relationship of elected officials, their political appointees, and career civil servants. Even readers with long histories of government service will find new ways of navigating the dilemmas they face. Chaleff’s ideas on leadership, and his unique perspective on followership, have found their way into the cultures of the US military and civilian agencies, and globally in institutions such as the European Union, the British Army, and African and Asian leadership development programs. He has served on the board of the International Leadership Association and was a visiting leadership scholar at Churchill College, The University of Cambridge, England. He continues to work with the global followership community and to write and lecture from his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.