"Hubris is something we've all seen in action and experienced all too often. It's a significant occupational hazard and a serious potential derailment factor for leaders, organizations and civil society. Hubristic leaders - intoxicated as they are with power, praise and success - behave in ways that, if left unchecked, invite unintended and unforeseen negative consequences which impact destructively on individuals, industries, economies and nations. Despite numerous examples throughout history of hubris' destructive consequences, it nonetheless appears to be an ever-present and growing danger. Leaders seem blind to the hazards of hubris and oblivious to the lessons of history. Prevention is better than cure and understanding the nature of the hubris hazard and the associated risk factors will help leaders and managers improve their personal performance and avoid derailment and, even more importantly, protect the wellbeing of employees and the resilience of their organizations over the long term. This book explains the characteristics, causes and consequences of hubris, and shows how to combat the significant hazard it poses to managers, leaders, organizations and civil society. With contemporary examples, each chapter explores a particular 'hubris risk factor' and shows how the risk can be managed and mitigated and exposure to the hubris hazard minimized. The Hubris Hazard, and How to Avoid It offers practical guidance and action points for managers and leaders on how to recognize hubris in themselves and others and what to do to combat it when it arises. It will also be useful for business and executive coaches and leadership trainers and developers"--

Hubris is something we’ve all seen in action and experienced all too often. It’s a significant occupational hazard and a serious potential derailment factor for leaders, organisations, and civil society. Hubristic leaders - intoxicated as they are with power, praise, and success–behave in ways that, if left unchecked, invite unintended and unforeseen negative consequences which impact destructively on individuals, industries, economies, and nations. Despite numerous examples throughout history of hubris’ destructive consequences, it nonetheless appears to be an ever-present and growing danger. Many leaders seem to be blind to the hazards of hubris and oblivious to the lessons of history. Prevention is better than cure and understanding the nature of the hubris hazard and the associated risk factors will help leaders and managers improve their personal performance and avoid derailment and, even more importantly, protect the well-being of employees and the resilience of their organisations over the long term. This book explains the characteristics, causes, and consequences of hubris, and shows how to combat the significant hazard it poses to managers, leaders, organisations, and society. With contemporary examples, each chapter explores a particular ‘hubris risk factor’ and shows how the risk can be managed and mitigated and exposure to the hubris hazard minimised. The Hubris Hazard, and How to Avoid It offers practical guidance and action points for managers and leaders on how to recognise hubris in themselves and others and what to do to combat it when it arises. It will also be useful for business and executive coaches and leadership trainers and developers.

The Routledge Critical Companion to Leadership Studies offers a rich and insightful overview of critical leadership studies for students, teachers, researchers, and practitioners. The volume draws together 35 chapters from 56 authors who represent the vibrant diversity of the critical leadership community. It includes chapters from emerging and preeminent scholars who share an interest in directing leadership theorizing, development and practice toward the aims of liberation, justice, and equity. The Companion is organized into six themes: (1) philosophical perspectives on leadership; (2) processes, practices, and power dynamics in leadership; (3) diversity and leadership; (4) leadership education and development; (5) lessons from the dark side of leadership; and (6) reimagining leadership and leadership studies. The book has been curated to serve as a "go to" resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, academic staff, and researchers seeking to understand the current state of play on a given topic, as well as inspiration for how they might contribute to its development. Each chapter provides a comprehensive yet succinct review of contemporary literature and offers the reader avenues for future research. Leadership practitioners will also find provocative ideas among these pages to help them interrogate and transform the ways they lead.

Though U.S. leaders try to convince the world of their success in fighting al Qaeda, one anonymous member of the U.S. intelligence community would like to inform the public that we are, in fact, losing the war on terror. Further, until U.S. leaders recognize the errant path they have irresponsibly chosen, he says, our enemies will only grow stronger. According to the author, the greatest danger for Americans confronting the Islamist threat is to believe-at the urging of U.S. leaders-that Muslims attack us for what we are and what we think rather than for what we do. Blustering political rhetor.

The real story behind the investigation of Iraq, and the basis for the MSNBC documentary of the same name hosted by Rachel Maddow Filled with news-making revelations that made it a New York Times bestseller, Hubris takes us behind the scenes at the White House, CIA, Pentagon, State Department, and Congress to show how George W. Bush came to invade Iraq--and how his administration struggled with the devastating fallout. Hubris connects the dots between Bush's expletive-laden outbursts at Saddam Hussein, the bitter battles between the CIA and the White House, the fights within the intelligence community over Saddam's supposed weapons of mass destruction, the outing of an undercover CIA officer, and the Bush administration's misleading sales campaign for war. Written by veteran reporters Michael Isikoff and David Corn, this is an inside look at how a president took the nation to war using faulty and fraudulent intelligence. It's a dramatic page-turner and an intriguing account of conspiracy, backstabbing, bureaucratic ineptitude, journalistic malfeasance, and arrogance.

"The book explores problems and issues that have emerged in national and international discussion of policies to address climate change. It concludes that every solution put forward by the UN and activists poses more problems than might ever emerge from the marginal human impact on natural climate change. Rather than mitigation, governments should focus on adaptation. As is, climate change discussions have become captive of a utopian agenda that is using climate change as a stalking horse to drive alarm in the hope that it will convince governments to act."--

For some politicians and business leaders, power can become an intoxicating drug, and can affect their actions and decision-making in a most serious way. The ancient Greeks called it hubris, and identified arrogance and contempt for others' opinions as classic traits. They also took comfort in the knowledge that the Gods would punish the guilty ones--nemesis. In this revised edition, David Owen has drawn on new material he has written in Brain and other medical journals. He has also drawn on published memoirs of the main players in the Iraq War and on evidence given to the Iraq Inquiry. All this reinforces his earlier assertion that George W. Bush and Tony Blair developed hubris syndrome during their terms in office. From their behavior, beliefs, and governing style, Owen has analyzed the two leaders, with particular reference to the Iraq War, to show that their handling of the war was a litany of hubristic incompetence. During Blair's premiership, David Owen had several meetings and conversations with him that afforded a unique insight into his modus operandi. In this book, Owen presents a devastating critique of how Blair and Bush manipulated intelligence, ignored informed advice, and failed to plan for the aftermath of regime change in Iraq. Their messianic manner, excessive confidence, and belief that they would be vindicated by a "higher court," brought chaos to Iraq and resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties.