Leaders Fools and Impostors

In this book of insightful essays Kets de Vries explodes the myth that rationality is what governs the behavior of leaders and followers and he provides a more realistic perspective on organizational functioning and the leader-follower relationship. The author shows that a great potential for distortion exists when leaders try to act out the fantasies of their followers and explores the many psychological traps into which leaders frequently fall.</P><P>Citing examples from business history literature the arts and from his own psychoanalytic and management-consulting practise the author identifies distinct leader types. He describes for instance the narcissist whose drive for power and prestige can bring much-needed vitality to an organization but whose inability to accept criticism ultimately creates a climate of subservience. He shows that entrepreneurs possess many of the qualities of the impostor including a capacity for self-dramatization and a deep understanding of how to profit by others' wishes and desires and he explains why entrepreneurs sometimes distort the truth about themselves and their organizations.</P><P>Through numerous case studies of successful and failed leaders <I>Leaders Fools and Impostors</I> furthers a better understanding of the leader-follower dynamic and gives leaders the means to transform themselves.</P>