Would You Follow You?
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
Spring 5-3-2025
Keywords
Executive Coaching, Transformational leadership, Leader Identity, Leadership Development
Abstract
"Would you follow you?" This question disrupted my understanding of leadership and launched a journey into what makes people willingly follow certain leaders "to the ends of the earth." What I discovered in this book challenges our current approach to leadership development. The crisis is clear: despite pouring $370 billion annually into leadership development, only 23% of people are truly engaged at work. We are solving the wrong problem. We have been focused on what leaders do while completely missing who they are. This is costing organizations nearly $8.9 trillion in lost productivity. Through research across diverse industries, I identified five identity markers that create leadership worth following: love, humility, integrity, courage, and curiosity. These are not just characteristics to develop or behaviors to practice. They are fundamental elements of who we should become as leaders. When these markers integrate into a leader's identity, something remarkable happens. Teams engage rather than withdraw. Organizations innovate rather than stagnate. From Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines to Steve Jobs of Apple, leadership worth following emerges when we lead from identity, not activity. This book is an invitation to move beyond performing leadership to becoming the kind of leader others naturally follow. It is not about being perfect but about being intentionally committed to creating spaces where everyone thrives. In the end, leadership isn't about what we achieve, but who we help others become.
Recommended Citation
Karamoko, Yvann, "Would You Follow You?" (2025). College of Arts and Cultural Studies Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Projects. 9.
https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/coacs_dsl_projects/9
