Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters

Kellerman (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) contends that humans hold an idealized vision of their leaders and defer power to them, like most animals, for safety and security; and he descibes how both shepherds and sheep are responsible for bad leadership. The text identifies two categories of bad leadership—ineffective and unethical—and divides these into seven types: incompetent, rigid, intemperate, callous, corrupt, insular, and evil. Each type is studied through examples ranging from Putin to Pol Pot. In the final chapter the author offers ideas on how bad leadership can be stopped or slowed by leaders and followers alike. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

26 October, 2004 - Wall Street Journal

Ms. Kellerman's volume is elegantly written and a pleasure to read...