Philosophy of Leadership traces the evolution of Western ideas from philosophical perspectives, ancient and modern. Various philosophies – including ancient heroism, rationalism, cynicism, stoicism, Machiavellianism, romanticism, heroic individualism, and existentialism – are pursued through a critical analysis of those ideas that are relevant to an understanding of leadership, and the authority and power relationships that underpin it. The authors argue that leadership is a human encounter grounded in authority and it is through a process of authorisation that leaders get their power. The book goes on to explain that leaders, therefore, have to deal with the tension between personal and social power, because for everyone who concedes authority to a leader there is a choice between authority and autonomy; leaders are generally attuned to this tension and to that choice. Drawing upon both ancient and modern wisdom, Philosophy of Leadership aims to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it.
Robert Spillane is a professor at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australia. He has been a visiting scholar at the London Business School, the ABIN Institute in Germany, and the University of Stockholm. He has published more than a dozen books on philosophy, psychology, and management, and a play – Entertaining Executives – which was performed at the Mermaid Theatre, London.
Jean-Etienne Joullié worked as an engineer in Europe and Asia Pacifi c for 18 years. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering, an MBA, and a PhD in Philosophy. He has taught in management schools in Paris and Sydney, and now teaches at the Gulf University for Sciences and Technology in Kuwait. He has published a book of philosophy and articles in management journals.