Barbara kellerman: There’s a better way to train leaders

Abstract

Barbara Kellerman, the James MacGregor Burns Lecturer in Leadership at the Kennedy School of Harvard University, has steadfastly attempted through her writing to lift the veil of misinformation that clouds our understanding of the leadership phenomenon. In her book Bad Leadership in 2004 she warned of the pervasiveness of harmful leaders and offers some remedial strategies.[1] In Followership in 2008, she called attention to the critical role of the follower in the leadership system.[2] In The End of Leadership in 2012 she indicted the deficiencies of the leadership industry.[3] In her new book, Professionalizing Leadership, she argues that we can do better and offers a bold prescription for training effective leaders.[4] Some of her provocative assessments of the state and practice of leadership training:.