Quiet Champions

A Way Forward for Mentors in Turbulent Times

Ian Chisholm

Become the kind of mentor who naturally connects and builds community.

In a time when connections are fractured, patterns are complex, and sage guidance is even rarer, mentorship has never mattered more. Quiet Champions is a practical and insightful guide for experienced professionals who want to step up together for the next generation. Drawing on over three decades of executive coaching and leadership development, Ian Chisholm helps you turn everyday interactions into powerful acts of presence, accompaniment, and support that serve the greater good and bring more significance to your own career and life.

Being a mentor, Chisholm argues, isn’t about the wealth of your experience or an impressive track record—it’s about showing up with intention. Through strategic frameworks, vivid anecdotes, and reflective prompts, he challenges the myth that leadership is innate and instead reveals it as a practiced, purposeful choice. You’ll learn tactics such as “Ascending to the LOFT,” which invites you to ready and steady your mindset before important interactions; “Converting Encouragement to Information” shows you how to shift from offering generic help to contributing actionable insight; and “Including a Third Chair” helps you help mentees deepen their ability to see challenges from multiple perspectives. Each chapter invites readers to reflect on their motivations, build their mentorship style, and nurture growth in uncertain times.

Whether you’re approaching the later stages of your career or craving a renewed sense of purpose, Quiet Champions offers a mindset and methodology to lead with empathy and intention. Ian Chisholm redefines the role of a mentor as one of today’s most essential—and overlooked—sources of community resilience. Because the greatest mentors make the seemingly impossible workable, and they get us on our way.

Reviews

Ian Chisholm’s insights are a road map for anyone who wants to build a culture where people grow, learn and lead with purpose. Essential read- ing for leaders, coaches and those committed to making others better.

Daniel Coyle New York Times–bestselling author, The Culture Code and The Talent Code

Thoughtful. Honest. And important.

W. Timothy Gallwey New York Times–bestselling author, The Inner Game of Tennis

Quiet Champions is a powerful and inspiring celebration of the leadership our world truly needs—anchored in integrity, humility and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. Ian Chisholm doesn’t just speak about leadership; he embodies. His approach serves to uplift, nurtures authenticity and shapes stories that ignite real, lasting and meaningful change. This book is a must-read for anyone dedicated to cultivating leadership that creates deep and enduring impact across communities and organizations. Quiet Champions is not just a book—it’s an energizing call to elevate the human spirit and lead with clarity, courage and purpose.

Carol Anne Hilton CEO and founder, Indigenomics Institute, Global Centre of Indigenomics

Ian Chisholm is a co-founder and partner of Roy Group, a leadership development firm using research, experiential learning, and integrative team practice to work with organizations in developing their next generation of leaders and mentors.

Chisholm began his career with the American Management Association’s Operation Enterprise division, working closely with the US Postal Service and inner-city high schools to bring young talent from tough socio-economic realities into immersive leadership development experiences. His passion for the potential of these young people brought him to the attention of Scotland’s Columba 1400 Community and International Leadership Centre on the Isle of Skye, where he served as the organization’s first chief executive. He was named as the organization’s first fellow in 2004.

Chisholm is an avid skier, overlander, and father of three. He lives with his partner in business and life, Anne-Marie Daniel, on Vancouver Island.

ISBN 978-1-77458-642-6
$21.95 CAD • $17.95 USD
Published OCTOBER 22ND, 2025

6 x 9 • 292 Pages
PAPERBACK, EBOOK, AUDIOBOOK