Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the Weird

Introduction

- Draws attention to the conditions that give rise to pathological leadership

Chapter 1             The Dark Cloud of Crowds

- Analyses the development of populist movements with reference to Nazi Germany.

- Discusses contemporary conditions that support the rise of populist movements, including the enabling roles played by social media and the internet.

- Examines crowd psychology in terms of the "selfish herd", "mimicry", etc.

Chapter 2             Let's Install Leaders for Life

- Offers a tongue-in-cheek Swiftian proposal that proposes - in a satirical manner - that there are merits to installing "leaders for life".

- Provides specific analysis of Donald Trump, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Mugabe, and others.

Chapter 3             The Little Drum Boy or the Rise and Fall of a Flawed Leaders

- Through the creation of a modern-day fairy tale, the text describes the rise and fall of one "Little Drum Boy", with obvious reference the 45th president of the United States. 

- Detailed examination of the psychological factors that shaped the leadership style of "Little Drum", including his personal traits, skills, and family dynamics.

Chapter 4             A Strange Tale of Hatred

- Framed by the tale of a leader named "Bolsonaro", this chapter provides a psychological

- In addition to analyzing hatred, the chapter also looks at anger, contempt, self-righteousness, and other emotions utilized by demagogic leaders.

Chapter 5             I won't. Therefore I am.

- Offers the tale of a queen who wishes to preserve her country by divorcing it from the larger federation of which it has been a part. The tale functions as an analogy of Brexit from a psychological viewpoint.

- Provides a psychological analysis of the queen's motivations and personality traits, including her stubbornness, fear of an attack on her inner core, inclination to hold on to grudges and past injuries, etc.

- Looks to reveal the underlying condition that create such a psychological state, such as the separation-individuation matrix.

- Concludes with a discussion of how to deal with stubborn people.

Chapter 6             Life Lessons from the 'Great Mother'

- A fairy tale about a grandma Black Widow spider that offers a psychological analysis of her from the perspective of the "Great Mother".

- Includes a discussion of leadership, organizations and gender dynamics, including the dangerous duality of attracting and repelling.

Chapter 7             Lions Led by a Donkey

- A short conclusion that reminds the readers not only of the negative impact of incompetent, arrogant leadership, but also the value leadership in tough times.

- Discusses the need for moral leadership, courage in making the hard decisions, and creating a legacy for future generations.