Synopsis

Every week, another leader burns out. Another organization fails its people. Another well-intentioned person discovers that climbing the ladder means becoming someone they don't recognize.

You're in another meeting where the loudest voice wins. Your team is exhausted, your values feel negotiable, and you're wondering: Is this really what leadership has to become?
What if the problem isn't leadership itself, but how we've been taught to lead?

What This Book Actually Does

Unfollow the Leader isn't another leadership book telling you to "lean in" or "think like a CEO."It's a practical guide for leaders who are tired of choosing between being effective and being human. 
Written by Reem Borrows, an International Leadership Strategist who's worked across government, corporate, and grassroots spaces for over 25 years, this book gives you permission to lead from your values, not your fear.
This is for leaders who are asking:

• "Can I create change without becoming what I'm trying to change?"
  
• "How do I stay authentic in systems built for performance?"
  
• "Is there a way to lead that doesn't require me to lose myself?"

The answer is yes. And this book shows you how.

Why You Need This Book Right Now

The Real Cost of "Traditional" Leadership

• 76% of employees are burned out (Gallup, 2023)
  
• Leadership turnover is at an all-time high
  
• Organizations are failing to retain diverse talent
  
• Well-intentioned leaders are leaving, frustrated and exhausted
  

What You Get Instead

Immediate tools you can use:

• Understanding what’s really driving you, to help you understand what’s driving others
  
• How to make decisions that stick without micromanaging
  
• Scripts for difficult conversations that preserve relationships
  
• Ways to create accountability without shame or fear
  
• Strategies for changing systems from the inside without burning out

Long-term transformation:

• Lead with your values intact, not just your strategy
  
• Build teams that innovate instead of just comply
  
• Create sustainable change that outlasts your tenure
  
• Model leadership that others actually want to follow
  

Why Reem Is the Right Guide for This Journey

This isn't theory. Reem has spent over 25 years testing these approaches across three continents, in boardrooms and community centers, with CEOs and grassroots organizers. As a woman navigating leadership spaces, she's had to figure out how to create change while facing systems that weren't built for her success. The strategies in this book are battle-tested by someone who couldn't afford for them not to work.

Her track record: Reem is often described by CEOs and senior leaders as the coach who “fixed” what years of leadership had worn down, with many saying they wish they had met her earlier in their careers. Her work brings renewed clarity, confidence, and purpose to even the most experienced executives, creating a positive ripple effect across their teams and the wider organisation.

How You'll Actually Use This Book

For Personal Leadership Development

• Reflective prompts that go beyond typical leadership exercises, helping you explore identity, self-image, fear, ego, and intention.

• Practical tools to align who you are with how you lead, so you stop performing leadership and start embodying it.

• Exercises to support emotional regulation, presence, and decision-making from a centred, values-led place.

For Leading Teams and Shaping Culture

• Team discussion guides to bring key ideas -like values, trust, identity, and rhythm - into everyday conversations.

• Templates and frameworks to build your team’s operating rhythm, feedback loops, and shared behavioural expectations.

• Language and strategies for HR, DEI, and People & Culture leaders to help translate leadership vision into lived practice.

For Navigating Real-World Leadership Challenges

• Scenarios, stories, and metaphors that show how to lead when the rules no longer apply.

• Strategies to manage resistance, avoid the drama triangle, and step into grounded authority.

• Reframes and scripts to use in difficult conversations, feedback moments, and when pressure is high.

The Urgency: Why This Matters Now

We're in a leadership crisis. Traditional models are failing, people are leaving, and organizations are scrambling to figure out what's next.The leaders who figure out how to be both human and effective, who can create change without burning out their teams or themselves, are the leaders who will shape the next decade.

This book gives you a head start on becoming one of them.

Similar titles

• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown → Unfollow the Leader takes vulnerability and adds systemic change strategy
• Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown → Unfollow the Leader gives you the practical tools to implement these beautiful concepts
• Radical Candor by Kim Scott → Unfollow the Leader shows you how to be direct while honoring everyone's humanity

Audience

This book is written for CEO's senior leaders, middle managers and aspiring leaders and entrepeneurs.