In The Essence of Leadership, leadership
itself is reformulated in such a way that what emerges—the essence of
leadership—is distinct from related phenomena, including management, presiding,
and mentoring. This is not to say, however, that leadership bears no relation to
strategy—hence the complex concept of strategic leadership, which is not
without risks. Leadership itself contains risks, which a focus on the essence
of leadership, rather than, for instance, taking leadership as simply about
having influence, can arguably minimize. Such risks include the cult of the
leader, to which charisma and attributions of heroism are especially
susceptible, and the distorting impact of ideology, such as in Burns’ version
of transformational leadership. Shaking out the risks and distinguishing
leadership as a unique phenomenon are ways of pointing back to the essence of
leadership, which applies in virtually any culture. That is, the essence is
cross-cultural. Taking comparative religion as a stand-in for cultures, I
demonstrate that the essence of leadership can be informed by Taoist, Buddhist,
and Judeo-Christian principles.
The Essence of Leadership is available at Amazon in print and as an ebook.
The Essence of Leadership is available at Amazon in print and as an ebook.
