The “I” of Leadership

Nigel Nicholson explains the emergence of leaders in different epochs and cultures.  His approach is rooted in evolutionary science and the latest thinking about how cultures and leadership co-evolve over time and place.  The essence of leadership is the successful crafting of an identity that merges the leader and the surrounding culture or zeitgeist.  The I of leadership is this merger of individual and culture.   Sixteen chapters present different sets of stories and challenges and illustrate how different leaders in all walks of life, have responded to critical turning points. The chapters are peppered with stories and examples from the lives of leaders, from the sports stadium to the office of the CEO.   The strategic challenge of leadership is to find the right balance between impact and versatility: shaping the world around you to fit your purposes, almost like surfing the wave of culture.A key element in this process is self-discovery how leaders learn about their capability through experience.  Leaders fail through lack of insight into themselves and into the worlds they inhabit.    Figuring in the book are:   George S. Patton / Steve Jobs / Tony Blair / Benazir Bhutto / Mo Ibrahim / Andre Norman / Jean-Pierre Mustier /Andre Agassi / Duke Ellington /George Bush / Barack Obama /Carly Fiorina / Ratan Tata / Warren Buffet /Mahatma Gandhi / Margaret Thatcher / Abraham Lincoln /Ernest Shackleton / Martin Pieters / Josef Stalin / Thomas Watson / Rupert Murdoch / Fred Goodwin / Henry Ford / Akio Morita