2025 Conference Agenda:
Growing Followership
Expanded 3-Day Schedule
This year our core program of research presentations, workshops, discussions, panels and plenaries will span a full 3 days, 9am-5pm.
PLUS: Join us Tuesday night for a social Meet & Greet at the hotel and Wednesday night for the Followership Farmer's Market and Community Dinner, included with registration.
EARLY BIRD RATE: $325 (before 4/1)
REGULAR RATE: $395
STUDENT RATE: $195
GROUP TABLE OF 8: $1995
Plenary Guest Panels
Furthering our commitment to connect research and practice, we are coordinating two very exciting plenary guest panels for the 2025 conference.
The first will feature ground-breaking research scholars of followership, moderated by Conference Co-Chair Sharna Fabiano.
The second will feature innovative trainers and practitioners of followership, moderated by Conference Co-Chair Ron Riggio.
Deep Dive Sessions
We've received rave reviews on many of our past conference sessions, and we feel that some of them deserve not only an encore but a deeper dive.
This year, we're bringing back some of our most beloved workshops and extending them into 3-hour sessions in a special Deep Dive conference track.
See Deep Dives for details on Courageous Followership, Polarity Thinking, Introducing Followership to New Audiences, and more.
Followership Farmer's Market & Poster Gallery
Instead of fresh food, we're in the market for fresh ideas. The Wednesday afternoon Followership Farmers Market is a place to learn about a fantastic new followership book, course, or development tool.
The market brings together authors, podcasters, inventors, trainers, creators, debaters and peddlers of other provocative followership goods, as well as a gallery of followership posters sharing the latest research and scholarly explorations in a tasty, snack-size format.
It is a place where serendipitous followership community is created and where surprising followership discoveries are made!
To be followed by a Community Dinner!
Featured Presenters
Ira Chaleff
UNITED STATES
Recently the keynote speaker for the British Army’s annual leadership conference, Ira is renowned for his landmark book, The Courageous Follower.
Ira will guide a discussion on the practice of engaged political followership, as well as offer a 3-hour Deep Dive train-the-trainer session on his Courageous Followership curriculum.
Dr. Marc Hurwitz & Samantha Hurwitz
CANADA
Exemplifying a Generative Partnership (they co-created The Generative Partnership Model!), Marc and Sam are known for their engaging, “pracademic” sessions.
Having taught followership with leadership for nearly two decades, Marc and Samantha will share insights from the latest research along with many practical takeaways for both personal and organizational effectiveness.
Dr. Wendy M. Edmonds
UNITED STATES
A captivating storyteller, Wendy was the first researcher to conduct focus group studies with survivors of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre, culminating in her gripping book, InToxicating Followership.
Sadly many of us have - or are still - experiencing toxicity in our workplaces or communities. Wendy will create space for sharing, healing, and helping us see our personal agency and power with fresh eyes.
Langley Sharp
UNITED KINGDOM
Langley is the former head of the Centre for Army Leadership and the author of The Habit of Excellence, distilling over three centuries of the Army's experience in the art, science and practice of leadership.
He also co-authored the British Army Doctrine Note on Followership and is Founder and Director of the consultancy firm Frontier Leadership.
Dr. Maike Kugler
GERMANY
A passionate people and team developer in both higher education and applied contexts, Maike incorporates followership in her research and work as a lecturer and business coach.
Maike will foster thoughts around the informal role of followership, highlighting the outcomes of follower behavior for individuals and organizations, as well as its significance.
Chris Monö
SWEDEN
Christian Monö, author of Why We Follow, is recognized for his work on “natural followership” and “collaborationship.” For nearly two decades, he has explored leadership and followership from the follower’s perspective, working with universities, corporations, and the Swedish Army.
Join Chris in a session that redefines what it truly means to lead and follow.
Lindsay Burr
UNITED STATES
An engaging facilitator and Polarity Thinking™ Master Trainer, Lindsay brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective that supports seeing the known in a new way.
Lindsay will unpack the key concepts of Polarity Thinking and change how you think about leadership and followership forever. Come away with a fresh perspective and toolset for greater inclusivity and impact.
Liz Monroe-Cook
UNITED STATES
Consulting psychologist, graduate of Polarity Thinking™ Mastery Program; Past Chair, Creative Education Foundation Board; facilitation and training mastery; author of articles and book chapter about Polarity Thinking applications.
This approach avoids the narrow view of the world caused by false-choice, either-or thinking, and instead gives individuals, teams, and organizations the mindset and toolset for utilization of multiple viewpoints, including those of both leadership and followership.’
Dr. Althea Simpson
UNITED STATES
In an era where organizations struggle to foster authentic leader-follower relationships, Althea offers a breakthrough approach using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology.
Following her acclaimed session that earned top ratings at the 2024 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, she returns by popular demand to guide participants through a three-hour immersive exploration of leadership-followership dynamics.
Dr. Thomas Sy
UNITED STATES
Tom is an award-winning scholar and professor at UC Riverside, specializing in leadership and teams. His research appears in top journals like Journal of Applied Psychology and Leadership Quarterly, and he has consulted for organizations like Google, General Motors, and the U.S. Army.
Tom will share findings from a series of studies exploring the impact of leaders' positive conceptions of followers as well as a novel, gamified mobile intervention. This research not only deepens our theoretical understanding of followership development but also introduces scalable, evidence-based strategies to improve organizational effectiveness.
Tim Hurson
CANADA
Tim has taught Productive Thinking and Creative Problem Solving in business schools on six continents. He is a Founding Director of Mindcamp, a creative thinking forum, and his first book, Think Better, is published in twelve languages.
Tim and collaborator Gloria Williams will guide participants through dynamic, hands-on activities designed to spark insights, generate actionable ideas, and draft first-pass ‘scripts’ for productive conversations about followership. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to refine and test engaging, connection-rich discussions that highlight the tangible benefits of adopting a followership stance.
Sharna Fabiano
UNITED STATES
Internationally recognized Tango artist, author of Lead & Follow, and host of the Lead & Follow podcast, Sharna teaches precise and effective leading and following skills from the ballroom to the boardroom.
Through playful movement exercises, Sharna invites us into an embodied experience of leading and following that consistently produces memorable epiphanies and a-ha moments! Experience physicalized, lead and follow partnership in real time and take home simple yet powerful exercises you can use in your own work.