Dave (in plaid), Jenna (me) and Andy (in grey) at Word Domination Summit! (Right before we broke the hammock.)

Meet Dave.

He’s the guy I lovingly refer to as “hubby” on Twitter.  (There is a beer story involved here*).

His favorite beer for the fall is Shipyard Brewing Company’s Pumpkinhead, based out of Maine.  “I’ve been drinking them like crazy and apparently they ran out of stock in Rhode Island last year.”  (I’m sure Dave isn’t solely responsible for that one…)  Samuel Adams’ Summer Ale is his summer classic brew of choice.  And another “crazy good!” beer is Jacob Lienenkugel Brewing Company’s Sunset Wheat, brewed in Wisconsin.

Writer. New Englander. All around great guy.

He’s much more than that.  He’s humble, passionate and hardworking.  He puts people’s needs in front of his own.  (Babysitting a Twitter friend in Boston or giving money to the homeless outside a club).  Loves his Boston sports teams.  (Willing to skip out on a conference to cheer on the Bruins to be 2011 Champions).  And he won’t let obstacles get in his way (like hurricanes).

He’s also an author.  And today, September 26, 2011, his debut book, Lead Without Followers comes out!

Lead Without Followers is the culmination of the last three years of Dave’s life.  (And the only thing Dave has talked about the entire time I’ve known him.)  Lead Without Followers details Dave’s journey through leadership and aides the reader to understand the underlying causes of our world’s modern leadership problems.  Through radically redefining the meaning of leadership, Lead Without Followers reveals an inspired, widely accessible and intrinsically human solution, a heartfelt alternative leadership philosophy based in love, selflessness, compassion and hope.

Do yourself a favor, if you are even remotely interested in leadership in any way shape or form, and get the book.  As Dave says, “Your leadership is birthed by your own choosing and made special through your own unique talents, gifts, passions, and abilities.”  As someone who works with middle school girls as a leader, I cannot even begin to tell you how right on Dave is with that one.  Follow your heart, play to your strengths and do your best to completely understand the culture within you are trying to do work.

I have to ask: If you only have one sentence to pitch somebody on why they should want to be a leader in any way, shape or form, what would you say to him or her?

* While at World Domination Summit, I brought my friend, Sean, who was working crazy hard assisting with the conference a beer at the opening party.  Dave was standing right next to him and said, “You bring beers?  OMG! I love you, will you marry me?”  And the rest was history (or at least a really long running Twitter joke.)