On Monday, CMF consultant Ira Chaleff led training sessions with senior level Senate and House staff about how to become a 'Courageous Follower.' The focus was on how staff provide valuable guidance and feedback to their Senator or Member, including the courage to intervene when not doing so will cause a problem or result in a serious misstep. Many of the training's key takeaways can be applied to anyone having difficulty interacting with a leader or boss.

The presentation tackled many difficult questions such as, "How do you win the favor of the leader?" "How do you dissuade her or him from taking a wrong action?" and "How do you keep raising a sensitive issue?" Oftentimes, the success and power that comes along with leadership can make it hard for support staff to speak up and give honest feedback. Thus, Ira Chaleff suggests a few tips on how to become a Courageous Follower:

Five Dimensions of Courageous Followers:

1. Assume responsibility for common purpose
2. Serve/support the leader and group energetically
3. Take moral action when needed
4. Constructively challenge counterproductive policies and behaviors
5. Participate in transformation

Besides these dimensions of being a Courageous Follower, the training focused on strategies such as using assertive rather than mitigating language to make your statements more convincing and powerful. For example, if you know that a large group of constituents strongly opposes a certain bill, an assertive statement would be, "If you vote for this bill, thousands of your constituents will be unhappy and it will hurt your favorability in the district." A mitigating statement would sound like, "I think you should reconsider voting for this bill, as some of your constituents disagree with it." The assertive statement is more confident and clearer on the implications.

Mr. Chaleff concluded the program by saying, "You must do more than tell your boss once. It's about telling them enough to make sure they get it. That's being a 'Courageous Follower.''' The closest followers help leaders minimize the impacts of their flaws.

All in all, it takes courage and tact to stand up to a leader and offer feedback or prevent them from making a mistake. It may seem challenging, but using these skills when speaking to leaders will benefit the whole organization and result in better decision-making processes.

Learn more about Ira Chaleff on the Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates website and about the topic of followership through his book, "The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders."