Leadership from Bad to Worse

Description

Leadership from Bad to Worse is about how leadership that is bad, invariably, inexorably, gets worse—unless it is somehow, by someone or something, stopped or slowed. The process of going from bad to worse tends to be steady, as opposed to hasty. But once bad burrows in, it digs in. It digs in deeper and then deeper, making it difficult finally to extract or excise without getting rid of whoever and whatever is involved.

This work draws on four cases of bad leadership—two in political leadership, two in business leadership—to show how it goes from bad to worse. Kellerman finds that bad leadership and bad followership go through four phases of development: 1) Onward and Upward; 2) Followers Join In; 3) Leaders Start In; and 4) Bad to Worse.

These findings correctly suggest that the book, in addition to being of theoretical interest, is of practical import. It is intended, deliberately, to serve as an early warning system. By breaking bad leadership and followership into phases—each more ominous and ultimately dangerous than the one preceding—their progression will be easier to predict and detect. And easier, therefore, to slow or, preferably, to stop before they turn toxic.

Bad leadership is a social disease. But unlike diseases that are physical or psychological, it remains at the margins of our collective concerns. Leadership from Bad to Worse is, then, a corrective. Knowing that bad leadership can be checked before it corrupts is knowing that bad and then worse can be, if not completely precluded, then sometimes short-circuited.

About the author:

Barbara Kellerman was Founding Executive Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School; the School's James MacGregor Burns Lecturer in Leadership; and a member of the Harvard faculty for over twenty years. She is currently a Fellow at the Center. Kellerman has held professorships at Fordham, Tufts, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Washington, Uppsala, and Christopher Newport Universities, as well as at Dartmouth and its Tuck School of Business. Kellerman is author and editor of twenty books on leadership/followership.

Reviews

"PAY ATTENTION. With this simple advice, Barbara Kellerman conveys the powerful message that followers bear the ultimate accountability for the quality of our leaders. And usually that's us. Using four brilliant profiles, two CEO's and two heads of state, Kellerman examines and reveals the unique circumstances, but common DNA, shared by bad leaders, but reminds us that the ball's in our court." - Stanley McChrystal, Founder & CEO, McChrystal Group, General, US Army (Ret)

"Barbara Kellerman's brilliant and blistering analysis is required reading and a cautionary tale to pull back from what is left of the brink." - Julia Hobsbawm, Award-winning business writer and Bloomberg commentator

"This is an impressive contribution to our understanding of what Barbara Kellerman calls the 'dark side of the human condition,' the pathologies of bad leadership. Its distinguishing and commendable strengths are its synoptic approach, exploring both bad leaders and bad followers in contexts ranging from politics to the workplace, and her innovative account of the four phases of corruption." - Haig Patapan, Professor of Government, Griffith University

"A brutal but alas accurate depiction of the human parasites that cause most of the world's big problems. In her usual direct, brave, and humorous style, Barbara Kellerman has managed to produce yet another leadership masterpiece: an outstanding book!" - Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Professor of Psychology, Columbia and University College London, and author of I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique

"Bad leadership - leadership that undermines democracy or distorts capitalism - doesn't just happen. As Kellerman points out in her invaluable book it progresses in distinct phases that become more dangerous over time. An original and important look at how bad happens and how perhaps to preclude it." - Bert Spector, Professor of Business Emeritus, Northeastern University

"In her brilliant new book, Barbara Kellerman shows exactly how we get to worse. For anyone concerned about the current state of leadership in business and society, this will show you the signs to look out - and correct - before it is too late." - Herminia Ibarra, The Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

"Prolific leadership writer Kellerman offers a fresh perspective on bad leadership and bad followership in business and politics, how bad leadership invariably gets worse and worse, and how these phenomena now inextricably link democracy with a capitalistic economy." - Dale Farris, Library Journal

"Leadership from Bad to Worse provides valuable insights into the insidious nature of bad leadership and the importance of recognizing and addressing it early to prevent further deterioration. Kellerman's work is a timely reminder that complacency towards bad leadership can have severe consequences for organizations and societies." - Sungsoo An, LinkedIn

Table of contents

Prologue - The Present
Part I - Looking In
Chapter 1: Democracy in Decline and Capitalism in Question
Chapter 2: Followership and Leadership in the 21st Century
Chapter 3: Making Meaning of Being Bad
Chapter 4: The Stages of Development
Part II - Digging In
Chapter 5: Martin Winterkorn - CEO of Volkswagen
Chapter 6: Recep Tayyip Erdogan - President of Turkey
Chapter 7: Elizabeth Holmes - CEO of Theranos
Chapter 8: Xi Jinping - President of China
Part III - Closing In
Chapter 9: Phase I - Onward and Upward
Chapter 10: Phase II - Followers Join In
Chapter 11: Phase III - Leaders Start In
Chapter 12: Phase IV - From Bad to Worse
Epilogue - The Future