reflections on character and leadership

367 Pages·2009·1.96 MB·English

REFLECTIONS ON
CHARACTER AND
LEADERSHIP
On the Couch with Manfred Kets de Vries
On the Couch with Manfred Kets de Vries offers an overview of the author’s
work spanning four decades, a period in which Manfred F. R. Kets de
Vries has established himself as the leading fi gure in the clinical study
of organizational leadership.
The three books in this series contain a representative selection of
Kets de Vries’ writings about leadership from a wide variety of published
sources. They cover three major themes: character and leadership in a
global context; career development; and leadership in organizations. The
original essays were all written or published between 1976 and 2008.
Updated where appropriate and revised by the author, they present a
digest of the work of one of today’s most infl uential management
thinkers.
Published Titles
Refl ections on Character and Leadership
Forthcoming Titles
Refl ections on Leadership and Career Development
Refl ections on Organizations
REFLECTIONS ON
CHAR ACTER AND
LEADERSHIP
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R.
Refl ections on character and leadership / Manfred Kets de Vries.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-74242-6 (cloth)
1. Leadership–Psychological aspects. I. Title.
HD57.7.K483 2009
658.4'092—dc22
2009004180
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-0-470-74242-6
Typeset in 10.5/12 pt Bembo by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong
Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall
This book is printed on acid-free paper responsibly manufactured from sustainable forestry
in which at least two trees are planted for each one used for paper production.
To my brother Florian—
the intimacy of our many shared memories
has been a source of great solace.

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
PREFACE xv
Psychoanalysis and organizational life xv
First case: an entrepreneur xix
The clinical paradigm xxi
About this book xxii
PART I: LEADERS, FOOLS, AND IMPOSTORS 1
INTRODUCTION 2
Playing the organizational fool 4
1 THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PERSONALITY 6
Introduction 6
Entrepreneurship: views from other disciplines 8
Common psychological themes in the entrepreneurial
personality 10
The effects of family dynamics 17
Case study: The entrepreneur’s story 18
Falling into extremes 22
viii CONTENTS
The Medusa women 24
The meaning of work 26
Competition and self-defeating behavior 28
The symbolic nature of the enterprise 29
The process of change 31
The entrepreneurial life cycle 33
Working effectively with entrepreneurs 39
Endnotes 42
2 THE HYPOMANIC PERSONALITY 43
Introduction 43
The Dionysian quality of charismatic leadership 44
Case study: Hypomania in action 46
Elation and its vicissitudes 50
Managing a hypomanic 53
Hypomania in the workplace 55
Possible interventions 56
Self-help measures 58
The plus side for organizations 60
Endnotes 61
3 THE ALEXITHYMIC PERSONALITY 62
Introduction 62
The ‘dead fi sh’ syndrome 62
Identifying alexithymia 63
Alexithymia as a communication disorder 64
Where do the origins of alexithymia lie? 66
Degrees of alexithymia 68
Alexithymics in the workplace 69
The Alexithymic CEO 70
Working with an alexithymic manager 72
Managing an alexithymic 73
Searching for solutions 75
Endnote 78
4 THE IMPOSTOR SYNDROME 79
Introduction 79
What makes an impostor? 82
The creative artist as impostor 85