The Seven Deadly Narratives of Leadership
The Dark Side of Leadership: Identifying and Overcoming Unethical Practice in Organizations
ISBN: 978-1-78635-500-3, eISBN: 978-1-78635-499-0
Publication date: 8 December 2016
Abstract
We often hear questions like “What must that leader have been thinking?” “What possessed her to do that?” “That leader needs to give his head a shake!” or “It is so disappointing to see the pain caused by one wrong-headed and self-serving leader!” This chapter describes how leaders may subtly fall into rationalization, self-justification, foolishness, and callous indifference through maleficent internal narratives. How is it that leaders who have found the favor of others in the service of a great cause (i.e., the education of children and youth) find themselves sucked into clearly wrong or unthinkably bad actions? In this chapter, vicious (non-virtuous) thinking, inner political churnings, unconscious reinforcement of systemic evil, and hurtful ways of influencing others are explored, named, and challenged.
Keywords
Citation
Walker, K.D. and Kutsyuruba, B. (2016), "The Seven Deadly Narratives of Leadership", The Dark Side of Leadership: Identifying and Overcoming Unethical Practice in Organizations (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 26), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 207-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-366020160000026012
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017 Emerald Group Publishing Limited