Mavericks: How Bold Leadership Changes the World serves as a guide for reclaiming power by unleashing one's "inner maverick". Authors David Lewis, Jules Goddard, and Tamryn Batcheller-Adams argue that not enough leaders truly embody the change needed in the modern world of work. They define mavericks not as impulsive boat-rockers, but as independent thinkers who demand better of themselves and their organizations for the wider good. The book guides readers through five learnable characteristics: passionate belief, an undeterred attitude, resourcefulness, directionality, and an experimental mindset. These traits are presented as a blueprint for becoming an iconic and positive change-maker who focuses on what they can do to make the world a better place.
The authors demonstrate that innovation and creativity can occur anywhere if one person remains "undeterred in the face of resistance". The work explores how to create "maverick organizations" that value dissent, reward curiosity, and decentralize decision-making. By replacing strict rules with flexible guidelines and fostering a "safe-to-fail" environment, leaders can help their communities and organizations break free from conventional, homogenized thinking. Mavericks is an exhilarating read that provides practical tools—such as the "Qi Index" to measure team interaction quality—to nurture the original thinkers and dissenters our divided world desperately needs.
The Blueprint for Change-Makers: The Maverick mindset is the psychological "grit" required to anchor oneself in the Sacred Canopy of Care. The traits identified by Lewis, Goddard, and Batcheller-Adams—independence, creativity, resilience, empathy, and integrity—are essential for navigating disruption. Empathy, in particular, ensures that leadership understands stakeholder needs, while integrity aligns actions with the core values of care. By reframing failure as a necessary step for innovation and analysis without blame, maverick leaders create the "experimental cultures" that will build the future. This is not about the hero myth but about "rebellious curiosity" that helps society shift to a new, sustainable narrative.
Mavericks supports the Sacred Canopy of Care by equipping individuals with the courage and resilience needed to challenge the status quo and lead for the wider good, ensuring that "authentic progress" is driven by those who are "undeterred in the face of resistance".