I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to an exciting new book providing an over-looked and essential element of ethical decision making and right action.

Nearly every week we read about a tragedy or scandal that could have been prevented if individuals had said no to ill-advised or illegitimate orders…torture in Abu Ghraib prison, corporate fraud, falsified records at Veterans Affairs hospitals, teachers pressured to feed test answers to students, etc. Why is it so difficult for people to say ‘no’ to their higher-ups? What exactly is Intelligent Disobedience? Under what circumstances can disobedience be considered intelligent?

“People like to believe they would have the courage to resist an order that would cause harm. Contrary to this belief, research and history show us that in many situations the majority will obey. Depending on the circumstances, perhaps you would obey,” says international best-selling author, speaker and consultant, Ira Chaleff.

In his new book, Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told To Do Is Wrong (Berrett-Koehler, July 2015), Chaleff, a pioneer in the growing field of followership studies as cited in the Harvard Business Review, goes deeply into when and how to disobey inappropriate orders, reduce unacceptable risk, and find better ways to achieve legitimate goals. The inspiration for the book, and its title, came from a concept used in guide dog training. Guide dogs must be able to recognize a command that would put their human and themselves at risk, effectively resist the command, and identify safer options for achieving the goal. This is precisely what Chaleff shows humans how to do.

Intelligent Disobedience -- which has recently been featured in/on Library Journal, Fortune.com and FoxBusiness.com -- highlights the intricate psychological dynamics of obedience, drawing in particular from the great social science experiments on authority and obedience, first by Stanley Milgram at Yale in the 1960s, followed by the Stanford Prison Experiment in the early 1970s.

“Reading this remarkable book has given me new hope for the prospect of humanity finally learning the overdue lessons needed to cope effectively with the many urgent challenges of our times,” states Philip Zimbardo, creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment.

A refreshing and paradigm-shifting read offering encouragement, hope and confidence to anyone who has ever felt alone, confused and frustrated when asked to do something wrong or harmful by an authority figure, Intelligent Disobedience rigorously explores:
- The Pressure to Obey: What would you do?
- Obedience and Disobedience: When is Which Right?
- Finding Your Voice: Saying ‘No’ So You Are Heard
- The Crucial Lessons from Guide Dog Training
- Teaching Intelligent Disobedience: Where and When Do the Lessons Begin?
- The Courageous Follower: A Model for Creating Powerful Partnerships

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of Intelligent Disobedience is the reassurance it provides for anyone who needs to take a stand and do the right thing when what you are told to do is wrong. “This book will examine how the skills of Intelligent Disobedience can be taught and exercised in a variety of settings and why they are, literally, a matter of life and death in many of those settings,” adds Chaleff.

About the Author:
Ira Chaleff is the author of The Courageous Follower: Standing Up To and For Our Leaders, now in its third edition, and coeditor of The Art of Followership: How Great Followers Make Great Leaders and Organizations, part of the Warren Bennis Leadership Series. He is the founder of the International Leadership Association’s Followership Learning Community and a member of the ILA board of directors. He is a frequent speaker and workshop presenter on Courageous Followership and transforming hierarchical relationships into powerful partnerships. Chaleff is founder and president of Executive Coaching & Consulting Associates, which provides coaching, consulting, and facilitation to companies, associations, and agencies. He is adjunct faculty at Georgetown University, where Courageous Followership is part of the core curriculum in its professional management training for staff. Chaleff lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Washington, D.C.

Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told To Do Is Wrong is currently available via Amazon and all major online and brick-and-mortar book retailers in print, e-book, and audiobook formats. Learn more at http://www.IraChaleff.com.