This book not only gives innumerable examples of bad leadership but provides bold insights and the real role of a leader’s follower. It can even prove to be a yard-stick for a good leader to know when s/he is to cross the line.

The fortunes of many nations have mostly been tied to the personal fortunes of its leadership. History has provided us with several instances from time immemorial with lucid examples of the Roman civilization and Nazi Germany to name a few. Since the impact of leadership is immense on the society, its study becomes inevitable.

Although many books have been written on the subject of leadership, most books automatically assume that leadership is somehow synonymous with goodness and virtue. While several books explain how one can become a successful leader and build all the skills and qualities required for such a role, there hardly has been any effort in dwelling on the nuances of bad leadership and incompetence

Bad Leadership is a stimulating digression from this kind of traditional thinking. Written by Barbara Kellerman, Research Director, Centre for Public Leadership, Harvard University, the books induces us to see leadership in its totality.

In the beginning few chapters Kellerman discusses the character of leadership, the role of the followers and the rise of a leadership industry. She argues that leadership is not confined to good leaders. She demonstrates this point by giving an example of Hitler who managed to amass support from the public despite his many shortcomings. The next few chapters give us the definition of bad leadership and explore the many reasons for its occurrence. Several relevant quotes are cited from Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes and other people to explain human nature. Kellerman then moves on to the seven “types” of bad leadership and describes them as follows:

INCOMPETENT: Where the leader and at least some followers lack the will or skill to sustain effective action.

RIGID: Where the leader and at least some of his followers are stiff, unyielding, and unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information or changing times.

INTEMPERATE: Where the leader lacks self-control and is aided and abetted by followers who do not intervene.

CALLOUS: Where the leader and at least some of the followers are uncaring or unkind; he ignores or discounts the needs of the rest of the organization.

CORRUPT: Where the leader and some of his followers lie, cheat, or steal. They put self-interest above all else.

INSULAR: Where the leader and at least some of the followers disregard or at least minimize the health and welfare of those outside the small centre group.

EVIL: Where the leader and at least some followers commit atrocities. The atrocities committed by them may be physical or psychological.

In each of these categories, she identifies leaders that illustrate her point. Drawing on high-profile contemporary examples-from Mary Meeker to David Koresh, Bill Clinton to Radovan Karadzic, Al Dunlap to Leona Helmsley-Kellerman she explores seven primary types of bad leadership and dissects why and how leaders cross the line from good to bad. In each example, Kellerman looks at six elements: the prologue, the context, the leader, the followers, the web, and the benefit of hindsight to explore the context in full. The book also brings to light the role of followers who are equally responsible and in some cases cause bad leadership. She argues that some of these followers lend bad leaders strong personal support, egg them on or join them in their bad behaviour. She cites this by telling us how most corrupt or nasty bosses often have associates who equal or outdo them in venality. She also contends that a follower’s dedication to a bad leader is often stronger when their leaders are very bad, as opposed to those who are somewhat bad. She calls these kind of followers ‘worse’ who knowingly and deliberately commit themselves to bad leaders. Most leadership books miss this point since they look at the follower and the leader in two different perspectives. This explanation leads to an understanding of why such bad leadership is harmful to the organization and the world especially if the organization is the political leadership of a country.

In the last section of the book, the author describes how times are beginning to change, where bad leadership has become more obvious and consequently how it has become more difficult to exercise that clout. While giving best advice on how to avoid bad leadership, the author encourages the reader to empower him or herself, and asks them to be loyal to the organization on the whole rather than any single individual. “Be sceptical of leaders” she says, “and take a stand when things are going wrong”. She points out that more followers contribute to bad leadership by inattention, either deliberate or inadvertent, than by any single lapse. In doing so, she offers useful “self-help” lists for both leaders and followers.

On the whole the book is an insight into the bad side of leadership, an idea that has still not penetrated into the conversation and the curriculum of the real world.

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