The Leader as Hero

Abstract

One of the principal aims of this book is to unsettle the dominant identity of organisational leaders as disinterested, rational figures who lead others for the good of their organisations. That is an identity that, we argue, is not only unachievable but also highly controlling of those charged with the task of leadership. We showed in Chapter 2 how the very words ‘leader’ and ‘leadership’ construct the very people and tasks that we are discussing, and we showed how the words may have numerous meanings and are open to contestation over how they are defined. The result of reading that chapter should be that readers now realise that they have a theory and definition of leadership that may be at odds with those we are using as we write these pages. Indeed, no two readers should share precisely the same definitions—every time someone offers one it is open to debate, discussion and rewriting.