Leadership: Theory and practice.

This chapter reviews major approaches to leadership that have been pursued over the course of the two and a half millennia since classical scholars first turned their attention to this topic. Before setting out on this venture, it is important to recognize that this task is a formidable one. Cursory examination of any daily broadsheet shows that leadership is a constant topic of interest, debate, and speculation. In particular, it reveals a widespread fascination with the lives of leaders and with their individual psychology. How were they brought up? What key events shaped their intellectual and social development? What are their defining psychological characteristics and traits? What makes them so special?…