Beyond the Leader

Praise for BEYOND THE LEADER "Beyond the Leader is a thoughtful, story-driven guide to transforming groups of individuals into purpose-driven, high-performing teams. Dr. Tony Bridwell shows how leaders and frontliners can anchor themselves in purpose, build trust, and deliver sustainable performance. It's a book with practical insights you can put to work right away."
-HUBERT JOLY, Former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, and Bestselling Author of The Heart of Business "In Beyond the Leader, Dr. Tony Bridwell delivers a transformative narrative that redefines how we build and lead extraordinary teams. Through heartfelt storytelling and practical insight, he reveals the power of followership and the disciplines that optimize not just team performance but team purpose. As a former Super Bowl Champion and Chief Culture Officer, I've seen what separates good teams from great ones-and Tony captures it with precision, heart, and wisdom. This is more than a leadership book. It's a blueprint for unleashing belief, clarity, and connection at every level of your organization."
-BEN UTECHT, Super Bowl Champion, Author of The Champion's Creed, and Chief Culture Officer "Tony Bridwell reminds us that great teams aren't built on heroics-they're built on shared learning, trust, and connection. Beyond the Leader is a must-read for anyone who believes leadership and followership go hand in hand. Simple, powerful, and human."
-GARRY RIDGE, USA Today Bestselling Author of Any Dumb Ass Can Do It, and Chairman Emeritus of WD-40 Company "Beyond the Leader is an excellent successor to The Follower Effect. It offers a practical approach to help both broaden and deepen desired behaviors in an organization to achieve high performance. Yet again, Dr. Bridwell helps the reader understand how to lead and how to follow in order to build alignment."
-FRANÇOIS POIRIER, President and CEO, TC Energy

Acknowledgments xiii
About the Author xvii
Introduction 1
1 The Prologue 5
The Note 8
The Words 11
The Lecture 16
The 7 Disciplines 22
2 The Learning Discipline 27
Redefining Leadership and Followership 30
The Starting Point 32
The Barriers to the Learning Discipline 36
Thomas's Breakthrough 37
Thomas's Journal Recap 39
Learning Discipline: Lessons from Leah 39
3 The Clarity Discipline 43
What Is Clarity Discipline? 44
Why Teams Struggle with Clarity 47
How to Achieve Clarity 48
Clarity in Action 50
Leah's Wisdom 53
Thomas's Journal Recap 53
Clarity Discipline: Lessons from Leah 53
4 The Safety Discipline 57
Safety: The Air We Breathe 60
The Four Seeds of Trust 62
Overcoming Weeds in the Garden 64
Recognizing and Addressing Weeds 66
The Role of Faith in Trust 67
Thomas's Journal Recap 68
Safety Discipline: Lessons from Leah 68
5 The Connection Discipline 71
What Is Connection Discipline? 73
Collaborators: The Team 74
Coaches: The Guides 80
Counselors: The Unpackers 83
Building Connections 92
Thomas's Journal Recap 94
Connection Discipline: Lessons from Leah 94
6 The Action Discipline 97
The Foundation of Execution 98
Decisive Decisions 99
The Polarity Paradox 100
Both/And Thinking 103
Engaging the Team 105
Avoiding the Priority Trap 106
Understanding the Trap 106
Applying It 109
The Power of Both/And 110
Aligned Execution 110
Sustained Momentum 111
Thomas's Journal Recap 112
Action Discipline: Lessons from Leah 112
7 The Adaptability Discipline 115
Situational Awareness 115
Feedback Loops 115
Strategic Flexibility 116
Thomas's Journal Recap 118
Adaptability Discipline: Lessons from Leah 118
8 The Celebration Discipline 121
Acknowledgment 121
Reflection 121
Renewal 122
Execution in Action 122
Thomas's Journal Recap 123
Celebration Discipline: Lessons from Leah 123
9 The Final Word 125
Leah's Insights on Trust and Faith 126
The Doubt Inside 127
The Disciplines Revisited: Trust and Faith in Focus 131
Learning Discipline: Start by Listening 131
Clarity Discipline: Align Expectations 131
Safety Discipline: Building with Faith, Vulnerability, and Trust 132
Connection Discipline: Create Shared Moments 133
Action Discipline: Making Decisive Decisions 134
Adaptability Discipline: The Ability to Check and Adjust 136
The Letter 138
The Celebration Discipline: Telling the Story 139
Appendix: Resource Material 143
Index 149