The Drama Of Leadership

Starrett's "Drama of Leadership" packs a lot of information into 166 pages. Over eight chapters he reviews the development in the study of leadership, what is missing from the literature and his opinion on the implications for future leaders. Unfortunately, if the reader does not have the same base knowledge on the subject and breadth of vocabulary as the author, the book is an arduous read. For instance, he refers to over 40 theorists and significant authors. Many of them are mentioned briefly and only in relationship to one another. Also the third chapter mentions functional rationality, but I did not know it was synonymous to instrumental and technical rationality until a footnote in chapter 5. That shows my weakness though, not Starrett's. If you want "Leadership Studies for Dummies" this is not the book for you. For novices in this subject area, it is a good starting point for a scholarly overview of the study of leadership. For scholars, it creates "big picture" connections.(Chapter titles: Exploring Excursions, Excursions into the Sociology of Action, Leadership and Charisma, Leadership of Flawed Institutions, Leadership in the Postmodern Context, Leadership in the Social Drama, The Drama of Leadership, The Education of Leaders)