Conversations on Leadership: Wisdom from Global Management Gurus

INTRODUCTION

The Eight Disciplines of Leadership

Few subjects have attracted more attention yet generated more confusion than leadership. As James McGregor Burns put it in his 1978 classic Leadership: “Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth.”¹

Misunderstandings of leadership abound. Just take one example: leadership is often regarded as heroic; therefore turnaround leaders such as Lee Iacocca at Chrysler, Lou Gerstner at IBM, and Carlos Ghosn at Nissan are highly admired. It is no wonder that many people view a post-crisis era, such as the period of the 2008-09 financial meltdown, as the greatest leadership challenge.

Yet heroic leadership could be a myth. Let me invite Bian Que, a legendary Chinese physician ...