The End of Leadership

by Barbara Kellerman

From one of the pioneers in the field of leadership studies comes a provocative reassessment of how people lead in the digital in The End of Leadership , Barbara Kellerman reveals a new way of thinking about leadership—and followership—in the twenty-first century. Building off of the strengths and insights of her work as a scholar and a teacher, Kellerman critically reexamines our most strongly-held assumptions about the role of leadership in driving success. Revealing which of our beliefs have become dangerously out-of-date thanks to advances in social media culture, she also calls into question the value of the so-called “leadership industry” itself. Asking whether leadership can truly be taught, Kellerman forces us to think critically and expansively about how to thrive as leaders in a global information age.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Business, Professional Development, Politics, Psychology

233 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2012

Reviews

[Liam]

had to read for class but counting it toward reading goal because it took time away from other books I could’ve been reading

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around two-quarters of the book recounts the last several decades of history; it was repetitive and a bore. But it's fascinating to have a "leadership industry" insider, who has cranked out so many books on leadership over the years, to take her own industry to task.

In some ways, the book was ahead of its time; much of what she wrote in 2012 on the importance of "followership" over "leadership" in the 21st century rings true. Certainly some of this we see in our politics and across the pond with Brexit. And I'm sure there's ample evidence of this when it comes to institutional and denominational life, and the tectonic shifts we're witnessing today in society at large and within the church.

The third and final section of the book, on "paradigm shift," is especially insightful. The final quote (below) reveals that this book is largely a diagnosis of the problem; I wish she had offered more by way of prescription. Still, excellent fodder for thought.

“I am refraining from an ‘obligatory prescription.’ What I will say, though, is this: leadership is in danger of becoming obsolete. Not leaders—there will always be leaders—but leadership as being more consequential than followership, leadership as learning we should pay to acquire, leadership as anything better than business as usual, leadership as a solution to whatever our problems, and leadership as an agreement of which merit is a component. To preclude this possibility—the possibility of its own obsolescence—the leadership industry must, at a minimum, make four changes. It must end the leader-centrism that constricts the conversation. It must transcend the situational specifics that make it so myopic. It must subject itself to critical analysis. And it must reflect the object of its affection—change with the changing times.”

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book about leadership but about followers and leaders, and how their relationship is evolving up to date.

+ Good reading, specially for those interested in organizational development and/or higher education.
- Sometimes there were so many examples.

The 4 stars are because of the Third Section. That's the core.

[Kislay Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually wanted to rate this 3.5.

This book is worth reading for its third section which critiques the "Leadership Industry". Apart from that, the merit of "The End of Leadership" lies in the frank admission by the author that something is wrong with her chosen profession. Now if only this moral stand translates to real world action, we might just get somewhere.

Some excerpts from my complete review at SolomonSays:

...The essence of the problem, as the author sees it, is this. While powerful technological tools accelerate the historical trend of weakening the leader and strengthening the followers, the notion of leadership hasn’t evolved to embrace the concept of followership as being equally important. Nor is the context of leadership given its due. And since great power does not bring great responsibility in the anonymous world of internet, the empowered followers often disrupt but do not lead (#shameless plug). Hence, democratization of power rapidly leads to a gridlock.

And while the fiasco outlined above unfolds, the institutions which claim to produce leaders (even in as academic a subject as law or medicine – How does one lead in law?) ignore it outright and focus on the old leader-centric paradigms. In absence of any objective parameters of success or any substantial justification for their existence, they have become self-perpetuating even as they have become irrelevant.

It is high time somebody wrote freely about the sham of mass producing leaders at every business school and company training program. Such narrow programs focussing on leadership as a skill ignore not only that one size does not fit all, but also that you need to a broad horizon to be a leader...I find it extremely improbable that even the best schools in the world can transform a set of disparate individuals into leaders (whatever that means) by subjecting them all to an identical regime.

The author skilfully brings to light the almost in-breeding arrangement between corporates and business schools – with the former funding the latter to produce exactly the kind of people they need. A fine arrangement on the surface, but one that guarantees no one with ever call bullshit if something goes wrong

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and engaging book that paints in broad strokes the history of the changing status, relationships, and balance of power, authority, and influence between leaders and followers, particularly as it has changed in the last 40-50 years from the 1960s until the publishing of the book in 2012. There is a focus on both politics and business in the United States, although there is one chapter that talks about international trends as well. It talks a lot about trends in increasing follower power and entitlement, loss of power and increasing distrust and disillusionment with leaders. The book is also highly critical of leadership industry and its flaws and failings to improve the tremendous problems of failing leaders and followers in the United States.

I found this book very thought-provoking as I had never thought about these issues before. Very interesting book and I found it fascinating.

[Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting topic. The author explains how world history empowers followers more compare to the past and then uses it as a reason why we should pay attention to them. And I like the author's honesty that even she’s working in the leadership industry, she can admit that there’s something wrong, and they’ve been just following the money rather than seeking more essential values.

The reason why I read this book is that I saw many who wants to be a leader of the group, but they don’t know how to speak from their heart and are only full of knowledge from the book and the school. I became skeptical about the leadership role and started to have an interest in the opposite, the followers. I once heard that it’s essential to be a good follower if you want to be a good leader. I want to dig that topic more.

[Alireza Hejazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the leadership industry, which is still mostly an American phenomenon but is no longer wholly so. While the leadership industry has been thriving, expanding, and prospering beyond anyone’s early expectations, it informs readers of an undeniable fact: Leaders, on the whole, are performing poorly, worse in many ways than before, and miserably disappointing in any case to those among us who once believed the experts held the keys to the kingdom. The End of Leadership is the book’s deliberate title, chosen by the author to serve as a warning about the state of leadership in the twenty-first century. It serves as a reminder to leaders of the critical changes that are on the horizon. The book may be quite enlightening and useful for anyone embarking on a leadership job at any level.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book with a different take on leadership in the present times. It is 75% historical, about the trajectory of leadership and followership, so leaves little room for truly groundbreaking exposition. It is more diagnostic than prescriptive; the author in fact explicitly abdicates responsibility for making an "obligatory prescription" for leadership in the 2010s. There are some useful tidbits to file away, but overall the book is nothing outstanding. The title itself also misleads the final premise of the book: we are not at an end of leadership; rather, at an apparent inflection point where the dynamics of leadership and expectations of leaders are changing more rapidly than the leadership industry can adapt.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit I had trouble following the author's premise as the book started but by Part III I could not put the book down. The title catches the eye but really it is about the diffusion of leadership so that power does not reside in one person; rather we are in an age of consensus building. The cult of the personality is over.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the historical reporting of the notion of leadership most interesting. The things we take for granted today, of having rights and of followers watching and critiquing leaders, is a recent development. That was something I hadn't really thought about before.

[Bo White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kellerman always says some things that need to be said.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is 13 years old, it contains some good insights into today’s leadership issues.

[Mark Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike Neil Postman's book, The End of Education, where the meaning behind "the end" lies in defining Education's purpose, Barbara Kellerman's book, The End of Leadership, really does warn that Leadership Studies may be entering obsolescence. The inflated popularity of books with "leader" or "leadership" in the titles reflects Kellerman's thesis: Since leadership can be taught, thus, everyone is a potential leader, and thus (like T-Ball where everyone gets a hit) everyone can participate, especially if the checkbook is handy.

Followers have become atomized from traditional roles only to be empowered via digital means; they have lost the call to followership (essentially, civic mindedness). Leaders have become self-absorbed, too dependent on silos of knowledge, and lack grounded ethical courage or effectiveness in providing humane solutions.

I liked this quote (from p. 169), "As a whole the leadership industry is self-satisfied, self-perpetuating, and poorly policed; ...leadership programs tend to proliferate without objective assessment; ...leadership as an area of intellectual inquiry remains thin; and...little original thought has been given to what leader learning in the second decade of the twenty-first century should look like."

[Josh Bersin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and educational.

I've studied leadership development for years and this was a great book.

The book makes a good case for a new model of leadership and the need for better followers but as it progressed I felt it became a little political. Clearly the old leadership models don't work and Barbara makes a wonderful historic case for followership and a new type of leader.

In my experience strong leadership is context dependent and leaders of all types succeed under different conditions. This book points out well that with $50 billon invested the industry hasn't moved the needle. Our data shows the same thing and I thank Barbara for pointing this out.

Is there a new model or a new answer? Dr Kellermann lists some good final points but we still don't have an answer... If leadership is over what's next?

There are some great leaders out there and I think there is a new breed emerging.

[Matthew Laing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent insights and a fairly rigorous and damning indictment of the leadership production line of recent decades, though at times shrill and fairly contextually myopic with its analysis of the current trends in leader-follower dynamics and societal change vis-a-vis those dynamics. Good recommendations for the industry as a whole, and many excellent examples and anecdotes. Focus of analysis could be better, as could the structure and rigour of the opening chapters.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and thought provoking review of leadership. Puts forth the idea that we emphasize training leaders rather than followers and what that means in the political and corporate world. Also highly critical of leadership development programs in business schools and in business as over-focused on short term goals and outlook. Worthwhile reading.

[Stuart Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but not sure I learnt anything other than the author wants to challenge what she has been teaching all these years. Main take away is that leaders have to have regard to their followers to be successful

[Theodore Kinni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kellerman, the founding executive director of the Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership, traces the changing nature of leadership through history and raises troubling questions about the industry that purports to teach it.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book summarizes leadership trends throughout history. It's a good look at how the world has changed.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this 4 stars. I'd like to read her book on followership. Thought provoking.

[Mills College Library]

303.34 K2935 2012

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-researched book about the threats to real leadership in the 21st century and a good follow-up to Kellerman's book earlier book, Leadership.

[Dawn Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ideas but it could have been half as long. Very repetitive and I kept thinking "I KNOW! You keep saying that!"

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of leadership industry and the problems facing leaders.

[Pat Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent analysis and worth reading for anyone interested in management.

[Izzy Senechal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for grad school.

It’s fine. A little outdated now, but emphasizing followership was innovative at the time this book came out. Just wasn’t as riveting or informative as I was hoping.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no longer about leadership but rather followers.

[Hugo]

great contrarian view on leadership and how overrated our obscession with it is.

[J. J.]

Extremely valuable book for me. Brought a lot of clarity. The last 50 of the 200 pages are the most valuable. Much of the first 150 can be skimmed. She orients the reader to the literature and the landscape of leadership and then goes on to offer (what I think are) spot-on critiques, that practically set up the crying need for the further integration of faith and leadership theory and practice. I highly recommend it.