Thinking about Leadership

(Paperback)

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Description

Leadership is essential to collective human endeavor, from setting and accomplishing goals for a neighborhood block association, to running a Fortune 500 company, to mobilizing the energies of a nation. Political philosophers have focused largely on how to prevent leaders from abusing their power, yet little attention has been paid to what it actua

Reviews

"Political scientist, political theorist, and former president of Wellesley College and Duke University, the eminent scholar and leader Keohane has applied her considerable talents and experience to help readers better understand the complex world of leadership... [Thinking about Leadership] is a very good introduction to many of the key aspects and controversies in leadership and is recommended for general audience interested in taking a first step into the field of leadership studies."--Choice "Books about management usually leave me cold... Thinking about Leadership by Nannerl Keohane is better than many I've dipped into. It's sensible, and short, and captures two aspects of leadership that seem pretty fundamental. The first is its definition of leadership... The second is her emphasis on the importance of judgment."--Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist blog "[A] gentle, reflective book that examines the relevant literature, supports and refutes it with anecdotal evidence, and sifts everything through Keohane's own experiences as president of Wellesley College and Duke University... She's not telling anyone how to be a leader; she's raising questions that ought to interest anyone interested in the role or the topic."--Sharon Shinn, BizEd Magazine "Keohane's book is to be recommended, particularly if you are an academic thinking about becoming a leader."--Amanda Goodall, Times Higher Education "Keohane understands as well that advice about the 'right balance between disparate qualities'--exhibiting warmth or distance; eliciting love or fear--isn't all that helpful because 'it does not come with instructions for knowing when to use one approach and when the other.' Leadership, Keohane reminds us, is as essential in a democracy as it is in a monarchy, oligarchy, or a dictatorship."--Glenn Altschuler, Huffington Post "Keohane's exploration of the unique demands placed on all leaders, both men and women, in democracies is especially interesting... Keohane's rich personal experiences and her deep engagement with political theory (informed by literature and the arts) therefore provide important insights into leadership."--Haig Patapan, Australian Review of Public Affairs "The manner in which dilemmas connected with the theory of leadership are presented is noteworthy and thus this book ought to be read by those interested in this issue."--Maciej Hardifiski, Political Studies Review

Author Bio

Nannerl O. Keohane is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and former president of Wellesley College and Duke University. She is the author of "Higher Ground: Ethics and Leadership in the Modern University" and "Philosophy and the State in France: The Renaissance to the Enlightenment" (Princeton).