Leadership: A Very Short Introduction

What is leadership? Are leaders born or bred? How does it differ from management and command? Do we actually need leaders?From its earliest manifestations in ancient societies, Keith Grint highlights the beginnings of leadership writings through Plato, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and others, to consider the role of the social, economic, and political context undermining particular modes of leadership.Exploring the idea that leaders cannot exist without followers, and recognizing that we all have diverse experiences and assumptions of leadership, Grint looks at the practice of management, its history, future, and influence on all aspects of society.`a thoroughly good idea. Snappy, small-format ... stylish design ... perfect to pop into your pocket for spare moments'---Lisa Jardine, The Times`A very good idea, these Very Short Introductions, a new concept from OUP'---Nicholas Lezard, Guardian
Napoleon. Bill Gates. George W. Bush. Osama bin Laden. Leaders and leadership are perennial topics of debate. What is leadership? How does one become a leader? Do we actually need leaders? In this Very Short Introduction, Keith Grint offers provocative answers to these questions, prompting readers to rethink their assumptions about what leadership is. Indeed, Grint argues that leadership is a very elusive quality, and that there are few definitive answers to be found, which explains why most books on leadership produce so much heat and so little light. But there are important questions to ask, questions which shed light on why leadership so resists definition. Grint looks at the way leadership has evolved from its earliest manifestations in ancient societies, highlights the early ideas about leadership found in Plato, Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and others, considers how social, economic, and political forces can undermine particular modes of leadership, and discusses the practice of management, its history, future, and influence on all aspects of society.