A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Leadership [Paperback]

An engaging guide through the cacophony of competing perspectives and models of leadership, the new edition includes an expanded discussion of contemporary topics like followership, gender, ethics, authenticity, and leadership and the arts, set against the backdrop of the global financial crisis.

Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way.

Suitable for students of leadership, professionals working in organizations and anyone curious about the workings of leadership.

Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way. This was the most helpful book I read during my entire first year as a Ph.D. student.  Reading this book felt like having a good mentor nearby.
The authors explore the complex nature of leadership through different lenses, or chapters, including leadership through the leader, follower, process, performance, place, and purpose. This third edition covers new content on emerging fields such as brute capitalism, business schools, and leadership development.

The authors highlight intriguing aspects such as the romance of leadership in that followers “tend to exaggerate the role of leadership when things are golӎ