In this first volume of his 'Undefended Leader' trilogy, Simon Walker sets out the foundations of ‘undefended' leadership: the undefended leader is the one other people follow, not because they have to, but because they choose to.

Examining the lives of leaders such as Gandhi, Luther King and Churchill, Leading out of Who You Are goes behind the assumptions of contemporary leadership thinking and asks how these men and women changed history. After defining the source of the leader’s influence and authority, Walker turns to the formation of leadership egos in childhood, based on his ecological model of personal power. He shows how 'undefendedness' as a way of leading can defeat the exhausting emotional burdens of sustaining a front and back stage, which derail many leaders, driven by their need for self-preservation. The lessons in this book promise to change not only your life, but the lives of those you lead.