Offers a broad review and analysis of the field of leadership, complete with its many debates and controversies. For middle and upper level managers. Softcover.

Leading people effectively is a tremendous challenge, a great opportunity, and a serious responsibility. Today's organizations, more than ever, need effective leaders who understand the complexities of our ever-changing global environment; who have the intelligence, sensitivity, and ability to empathize with others; and who can motivate their followers to strive for excellence. We always have been interested in leadership. All civilizations throughout history have focused on their leaders, revering or reviling them. Leaders and followers have existed since humans first organized into groups to accomplish a task. Throughout history, the fate of millions has depended on the leadership qualities of kings and queens and on their battles for succession. Children all over the world learn early, through listening to fairy tales, that the happiness and misery of people depend on the goodness (or evilness) of leaders. We are truly fascinated by those who lead us. To some, leadership is a magical process. Indeed, when we read about historical figures or meet some of the leaders of our times, we can be transfixed by their seemingly magical exploits. They move armies, create new countries, and destroy whole civilizations through what often appears to be the sheer strength of their will. They affect our very existence on this planet. Although our leaders are the ones who dazzle us, we sometimes fail to consider that leaders alone can accomplish nothing. It is the strength of their followers that moves history. It is the hard work of employees that turns a profit in a faltering company It is the initiative of volunteers that achieves an institution's goals. We also must remember that many extraordinary leaders have found themselves shunned and rejected by the people who once admired them. President Charles de Gaulle's road to the leadership of France was long, tortuous, and fraught with failure: After coming to office as a hero after World War II, he was forced out of office twice. Winston Churchill was removed from office twice, too, and faced long periods in his life during which his leadership was neither valued nor wanted. Julius Caesar experienced many ups and downs in his battles with the Roman senate. More recently, Margaret Thatcher saw her fortunes come and go with the mood of the British public and the economic upheaval in Europe. Henry Cisneros, once mayor of San Antonio and secretary of housing and urban development under President Clinton, fell into disfavor with the electorate before he regained his popularity. Benazir Butho of Pakistan has moved. from national hero to national villain several times. Lee Iaccoca of Chrysler was not always the hero that some consider him to be today. George Watson Jr. was booted out of office after successfully leading IBM for many years. Jack Welch, recently retired from the leadership of General Electric and considered by many to be one of the most successful U.S. CEOs, was nicknamed Neutron Jack in his early days at GE for decimating the company workforce through layoffs. If the powers of these leaders are truly magical, why do they wax and wane? Why are they not effective all the time? This question, along with many others, will be addressed in this book. For our organizations to be effective and for our society to function successfully, we must be able to select the right leaders and help them succeed. This book presents a broad review and analysis of the field of leadership with application to business and other organizations because the processes of leading others to achieve organizational goals are applicable in any institutional setting. Our current research has done much to demystify leadership and teach it to the rest of us mortals. Although we still come across some leaders whose performance and behavior escape the bounds of scientific explanation, by and large we know a good deal about leadership and how to train people to be leaders. The cornerstone of our new knowl