Abstract
So said Abraham Lincoln drawing on his character at a time then of unprecedented global complexity, institutional discontinuity and socio-economic transition. In this chapter we explore the impact of current thinking about the development of character on leadership development. We look at the role of personal and interpersonal dynamics in notions of leadership, and the way in which our current understanding of the nature of leadership is calling into question some preconceptions about how leadership development is best achieved. In particular we focus on the conjunction of ideas in experiential psychology and leadership thinking around notions of presence and being ‘in the moment’ as both ways of learning and of leading. This is explored through the perspective of a group of leadership development consultants (‘practitioners’) in the UK using an experiential, psychodynamic technique not used before in UK organisations. Some of them, trained previously in other psychotherapeutic schools, were especially challenged to adapt their existing skills to the new ‘psychomotor’ approach (Mann, 2005). Finally, we examine the implications of this new perspective for the concept of leadership itself, for the practice of leadership development in organisations and for the selection and evaluation of those engaged in the development of leaders.
Most men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Viscount Alanbrooke, War Diaries 1939–1945 (London: Widenfeld & Nicholson, 2001).
A. Axelrod, Elizabeth I CEO: Strategic Lessons from the Leader Who Built an Empire (Paramus, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000).
C. Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World 1780–1914 (Blackwell, 2004).
G. Best, Churchill, A Study in Greatness (London: Penguin, 2002).
J. Chapman and A. Logan, ‘The inner work of leadership — Integrating awareness through the embodiment of meaning’. Paper presented at 6th International Conference on HRD Research & Practice Across Europe (Leeds: Leeds Metropolitan University, 25–27 May, 2005).
W. Cohen, A. Axelrod and G. Steinbrenner III, Patton on Leadership (Paramus, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999).
S. Cotter, ‘Using bioenergetics to develop managers’, The Journal of Management Development, 15(3) (1996).
S. Covey, Principle Centred Leadership (London: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 1999).
K. Grint, The Arts of Leadership (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).
K. Grint, Leadership: Limits and Possibilities (London: Palgrave, 2005).
M. Gilbert, Winston Churchill’s War Leadership (London: Vintage Books, 2004).
B.L. Halpern and K. Lubar, Leadership Presence (New York: Gotham, 2004).
P. Hersey and K. Blanchard, Management of Organisational Behaviour, 8th Edition (Paramus, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001).
R. Holmes, In The Footsteps of Churchill (London: BBC Books, 2005).
A. Kakabadse and N. Kakabadse, The Essence of Leadership (London: Thomson Business Press, 1999).
A. Kaltman, Cigars, Whiskey and Winning — Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S Grant (Paramus, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998).
J. Kouzes and B. Posner, The Leadership Challenge (San Francisco: Wiley, 2002).
D.G. Krause, The Art of War for Executives (London: Nicholas Brealey, 2003).
L. Kurke, The Wisdom of Alexander the Great: Enduring Leadership Lessons from the Man Who Created an Empire (New York: Amacom, 2004).
D. Ladkin and S. Taylor, ‘Constructing authenticity: Learning from the arts to develop the authentic leadership self’, Conference paper (Philadelphia: Academy of Management Conference, August, 2007).
P. Mann, ‘Sharpening the instrument: Challenges to practice from self reflective and interactive growth’, Action Research, 3(3) (2005) 313–332.
P. Mann and J. Chapman, ‘Can an American psychotherapeutic system contribute to British leadership development?’, International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior (in press).
M. Morrell, S. Capparell and A. Shackleton, Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer (New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001).
D. Perkins, M. Holtman, P. Kessler and C. McCarthy, Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Limits of Human Endurance — the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition (New York: Amacom, 2000).
A. Pesso, Movement in Psychotherapy; Psychomotor Techniques and Training (New York: New York University Press, 1969).
A. Pesso, Experience in Action: A Psychomotor Psychology (New York: New York University Press, 1973).
A. Pesso, Interview with the author during Experiential Workshop (Strolling Woods, New Hampshire, 13th June, 2007).
A. Pesso and J. Crandell (eds), Moving Psychotherapy: Theory and Application of Pesso System/Psychomotor Therapy (Brookline Books, 1991).
A. Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, Vols. 1 and 2 (1844) (Dover transl. 1969).
M. Scarf, Secrets, Lies, Betrayals: How the Body Holds the Secrets of a Life and How to Unlock Them (New York: Random House, 2004).
P.M. Senge, C.O. Scharmer, J. Jaworski and B.S. Flowers, Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society (London: Nicholas Brealey, 2005).
A. Storr, The Essential Jung, Selected Writings (London: Fontana, 1998).
A. Strati, ‘The aesthetic approach to organisation studies’, in S. Lindstead and H. Hopfl (eds), The Aesthetics of Organisations (London: Sage, 2000).
J. Uldrich, Into the Unknown — Leadership Lessons from Lewis and Clark’s Daring Westward Expedition (New York: Amacom, 2004).
K. Wilber, A Brief History of Everything (Dublin: Gill Macmillan Ltd, 1996).
B. Woodward and C. Funk, ‘The aesthetics of leadership development: A pedagogical model for developing leaders’, Paper given (Paris: ESCP-EAP European School of Management, 2004).
R. Wright, A Short History of Progress (New York: Anansi, 2004).
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2008 Jon Chapman and Pete Mann
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chapman, J., Mann, P. (2008). Leadership Presence: Character Development as the Choreography of Body-Mind. In: James, K.T., Collins, J. (eds) Leadership Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230584075_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230584075_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-35432-0
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-58407-5
eBook Packages: Palgrave Business & Management CollectionBusiness and Management (R0)