The Myth of the Strong Leader

Author: Archie Brown
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465080979
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description
From one of the world's preeminent political historians, a magisterial study of political leadership around the world from the advent of parliamentary democracy to the age of Obama. All too frequently, leadership is reduced to a simple dichotomy: the strong versus the weak. Yet, there are myriad ways to exercise effective political leadership -- as well as different ways to fail. We blame our leaders for economic downfalls and praise them for vital social reforms, but rarely do we question what makes some leaders successful while others falter. In this magisterial and wide-ranging survey of political leadership over the past hundred years, renowned Oxford politics professor Archie Brown challenges the widespread belief that strong leaders -- meaning those who dominate their colleagues and the policy-making process -- are the most successful and admirable. In reality, only a minority of political leaders will truly make a lasting difference. Though we tend to dismiss more collegial styles of leadership as weak, it is often the most cooperative leaders who have the greatest impact. Drawing on extensive research and decades of political analysis and experience, Brown illuminates the achievements, failures and foibles of a broad array of twentieth century politicians. Whether speaking of redefining leaders like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Margaret Thatcher, who expanded the limits of what was politically possible during their time in power, or the even rarer transformational leaders who played a decisive role in bringing about systemic change -- Charles de Gaulle, Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela, among them -- Brown challenges our commonly held beliefs about political efficacy and strength. Overturning many of our assumptions about the twentieth century's most important figures, Brown's conclusions are both original and enlightening. The Myth of the Strong Leader compels us to reassess the leaders who have shaped our world - and to reconsider how we should choose and evaluate those who will lead us into the future.

The Myth of the Strong Leader

Author: Archie Brown
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN: 0465027660
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description
Using examples from strong leaders from Charles De Gaulle and Margaret Thatcher to Barack Obama, a renowned politics professor dispels the notion that leaders who dominate the policy-making process are more effective than those with a more collegial ruling style. 17,500 first printing.

The Myth of the Strong Leader

Author: Archie Brown
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 144815698X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 75

Book Description
* UPDATED WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR * CHOSEN BY BILL GATES AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016 Archie Brown challenges the widespread belief that 'strong leaders', dominant individual wielders of power, are the most successful and admirable. Within authoritarian regimes, a collective leadership is a lesser evil compared with a personal dictatorship. Within democracies, although ‘strong leaders’ are seldom as strong or independent as they purport to be, the idea that just one person is entitled to take the big decisions is harmful and should be resisted. Examining Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mikhail Gorbachev, Deng Xiaoping and Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair amongst many others, this landmark study pinpoints different types and qualities of leadership. Overturning the popular notion of the strong leader, it makes us rethink preconceptions about what it means to lead.

The Myth Of The Nice Girl

Author: Fran Hauser
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 132883297X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
An Amazon Best Business Book of 2018 Selected by Audible as the Best Business Book of 2018 Named “Best New Book” by People Magazine and Refinery29 Named a Most Anticipated Title of April 2018 by Bustle and Levo A Women@Forbes “Boss Moves Book Club” pick A candid guide for ambitious women who want to succeed without losing themselves in the process Fran Hauser deconstructs the negative perception of "niceness" that many women struggle with in the business world. If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective, but if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch. Hauser proves that women don’t have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful. Sharing a wealth of personal anecdotes and time-tested strategies, she shows women how to reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like. Her accessible advice and hard-won wisdom detail how to balance being empathetic with being decisive, how to rise above the double standards that can box you in, how to cultivate authentic confidence that projects throughout a room, and much more. THE MYTH OF THE NICE GIRL is a refreshing dose of forward-looking feminism that will resonate with smart, professional women who know what they want and are looking for real advice to take their career to the next level without losing themselves in the process.

The Mythical Leader

Author: Ron Edmondson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718089243
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
Pastor and popular blogger, Ron Edmondson exposes some of the common misunderstandings of leadership through stories from his own experiences, helping leaders develop healthier patterns of individual leadership. Being a leader involves much more than holding a title. And simply having a leader doesn't ensure success. This reality has never been more prevalent in the church than now, when so many churches are considered to be plateaued or dying. Pastor and popular blogger, Ron Edmondson believes this is due to a misunderstanding of what leadership is and what it isn't. In his work with hundreds of pastors and churches, the most common need he encounters is the need for more effective leadership in the local church. Seminaries may prepare pastors to preach, just as colleges may prepare teachers to teach, but who prepares pastors to lead? Simply stated: The church needs better leadership. In The Mythical Leader, Edmondson exposes some of the most common misunderstandings of leadership, shares stories from his own experiences, and will help church leaders develop healthier patterns to improve their individual leadership. While most people may have a preliminary understanding of many of these myths, they often are not lived out with a great degree of depth in the life of the church leader. Don't fall prey to these myths! If gone untreated they can be the very thing that prevents a good leader from leading well.

Myths of Leadership

Author: Jo Owen
Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers
ISBN: 0749480750
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
WINNER: CMI Management Book of the Year 2019 - Aspiring Leaders Category The best leaders are born, not made. The best leaders are always in control. The best leaders are those with the highest IQs. But are they really? The thinking surrounding what makes the greatest leaders is increasingly muddled by stereotypes, snake oil promises and pseudo-science. The best leaders rely on fact, not fads. Myths of Leadership blasts away the fluff and confronts false legends head on. Jo Owen uses the most credible research to analyze each myth, using international business case studies, leadership theory and insightful interviews, to uncover the truth. This is a compelling and practical examination of the most pervasive misconceptions about leadership that will help you elevate your own leadership abilities, better inspire your team and empower your organization by thinking differently. Entertaining but evidence-based, Myths of Leadership throws out the management jargon and skewers over-hyped leadership trends to bring you the best practical tips you need to become a better leader.

Leaders

Author: General Stanley McChrystal
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525534385
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 482

Book Description
An instant national bestseller! Stanley McChrystal, the retired US Army general and bestselling author of Team of Teams, profiles thirteen of history’s great leaders, including Walt Disney, Coco Chanel, and Robert E. Lee, to show that leadership is not what you think it is—and never was. Stan McChrystal served for thirty-four years in the US Army, rising from a second lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division to a four-star general, in command of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. During those years he worked with countless leaders and pondered an ancient question: “What makes a leader great?” He came to realize that there is no simple answer. McChrystal profiles thirteen famous leaders from a wide range of eras and fields—from corporate CEOs to politicians and revolutionaries. He uses their stories to explore how leadership works in practice and to challenge the myths that complicate our thinking about this critical topic. With Plutarch’s Lives as his model, McChrystal looks at paired sets of leaders who followed unconventional paths to success. For instance. . . · Walt Disney and Coco Chanel built empires in very different ways. Both had public personas that sharply contrasted with how they lived in private. · Maximilien Robespierre helped shape the French Revolution in the eighteenth century; Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led the jihadist insurgency in Iraq in the twenty-first. We can draw surprising lessons from them about motivation and persuasion. · Both Boss Tweed in nineteenth-century New York and Margaret Thatcher in twentieth-century Britain followed unlikely roads to the top of powerful institutions. · Martin Luther and his future namesake Martin Luther King Jr., both local clergymen, emerged from modest backgrounds to lead world-changing movements. Finally, McChrystal explores how his former hero, General Robert E. Lee, could seemingly do everything right in his military career and yet lead the Confederate Army to a devastating defeat in the service of an immoral cause. Leaders will help you take stock of your own leadership, whether you’re part of a small team or responsible for an entire nation.

The Trustworthy Leader

Author: Amy Lyman
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118157672
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
How leaders from the best workplaces build trust in their organizations The Trustworthy Leader reveals the benefits organizations enjoy when trustworthy behavior is practiced consistently by their leaders. Drawing from examples from the Best Companies to Work For, Lyman, cofounder of Great Place to Work Institute, explains that being trustworthy means that leaders' behaviors are rooted in their commitment to the value of trust and not simply in an imitation of the practices of others. She identifies six elements that reflect a leader's trustworthiness: honor, inclusion, engaging followers, sharing information, developing others, and moving through uncertainty to pursue opportunities. Features leaders from great companies such as REI, Wegman's, R.W. Baird, TDIndustries, and more Based on more than 20 years of rigorous research into the value of trust in companies large and small and its link to financial and organizational performance Published to coincide with the release of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For 2012 list This book offers a key to developing high levels of trust, a critical endeavor in an age when seemingly every day a story of a leader's lapse in ethical behavior makes headlines.

Awaken the Leader in You

Author: Mitesh Khatri & Indu Khatri
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
ISBN: 8184953836
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 133

Book Description
AWAKEN THE LEADER IN YOU discusses the traits and skills needed to be a successful leader. This book destroys the myth that leaders are only people at the top management levels. Offering a completely new perspective on leadership, Mitesh and Indu categorize leaders as extraordinary people if they have an entrepreneur mindset and ordinary people if they have an employee mindset. The authors firmly believe that all are born with infinite potential and within every ordinary person, there lies an extraordinary leader. The tenet of this book is to awaken that leader in you! Replete with inspiring leadership stories, exercises and simple-to-apply strategies, this is a step-by-step guide for the spiritual individual to develop the entrepreneur mindset and become a leader in his professional as well as personal life. Mitesh Khatri is a sought-after international leadership trainer, firewalk expert and motivational speaker. He is the founder of Guiding Light Consultants (GLC), which helps individuals and organizations transform employees into leaders and entrepreneurs. Indu Khatri, co-founder of Guiding Light Consultants (GLC), has rich experience of the IT industry and is the principle content designer for all their corporate training programs and coaching sessions. She is also a co-facilitator for all High Impact Trainings such as the renowned firewalk. Mitesh and Indu are partners in life and business, which gives them a great advantage in creating extraordinary results through all their training programs.

The Myth of Leadership

Author: Jeffrey S. Nielsen
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1473644275
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description
Can we really run organizations without leaders? Yes, says organizational consultant Jeffery Nielson in this provocative book. According to Nielsen, it’s time to stop structuring businesses as “rank-based” organizations run by a privileged elite who are so isolated from the front lines that they are downright counterproductive. Debunking the leadership myth, Nielsen calls for an end to leader-based corporate hierarchies, which foster secrecy, encourage miscommunication, and steal the joy and dignity from work. His new paradigm is the “peer-based” organization. No matter how you feel about Nielsen’s theory of leaderless organizations, you are sure to find this book thought provoking. It will challenge your assumptions about the role of leadership in modern organizations.