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Philosophy of Leadership has been written to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it. The authors point out ideas about leadership which draw upon both ancient and modern wisdom. This book develops a philosophy of leadership by tracing the evolution of Western ideas from philosophical perspectives, ancient and modern.

The book proposes a critique of Nietzsche's works 'from within'. In doing so, it answers the continuing question asked by any reader of Nietzsche: Why did he decide not to write the major work he said he would write?

The book's premise is that the theories taught in management schools are based on unacknowledged philosophical perspectives that are significant not so much for what they explain, but for what they assume. Rarely made explicit, these perspectives cannot be reconciled, with the result that the study of management has been dominated by contradictions and internecine intellectual warfare. However, the ability critically to analyze these diverse perspectives is essential to practicing and aspiring managers if they are to evaluate expert opinion. Moreover, since management is primarily an exercise in communication, managing is impossible in the darkness of an imprecise language, in the absence of moral references, or in the senseless outline of a world without intellectual foundations. Managing is a prime example of applied philosophy.

Managerialism has often been defined as an ideology, according to which the effective and efficient running of commercial firms, not-for-profit organizations and public administrations is delivered by individuals who possess superior formal knowledge and expertise in management. Arguing to their exclusive education, managers deprive employers and employees of decision-making power and ensconce themselves systematically in the power structure of workplaces to advance their own interests and agenda. The central thesis of Overcoming Managerialism is that resisting and overcoming managerialism necessitates the re-establishing of the conceptual distinction between power and authority. Second, it requires the rehabilitating of authoritative management as a protection against authoritarian practices. Authority, properly conceived, redirects power to technical experts and professionals and thereby limits managerial power. The authors discuss ten contentions which, taken together, represent a theory of the foundation of management in which authority, power and rhetoric are central concepts. This book combines academic scholarship with a readable critique of managerialism. It will be of interest to both management scholars and students.

This thesis analyses the notion of will to power formulated by Friedrich Nietzsche. Adapted from the romantic idea of will, Nietzsche hoped to make will to power the centrepiece of his philosophy and the basis on which a revaluation of all values would be possible. In all aspects of this ambitious project, Nietzsche encountered problems that were to prove insurmountable. The very criticisms he had directed at his predecessors returned to sabotage his plans. -- Nietzsche believed that the ascetic ideals of his time devalued life and diminished man. Instead, he extolled Homeric ethics and promoted a naturalistic epistemology, taking will to power as his yardstick for both. However, his underlying romanticism ensured that his ethics and epistemology were aligned and based on an otherworldly conception. Will to power is asceticism interpreted romantically. -- Following the Romantics, Nietzsche criticised materialism for its underlying world dualism and lack of an internal dynamic. For him, the world is will to power. However, individuation is impossible if the world is only will to power. Insofar as it is based on the concept of power, will to power is a surface interpretation. Will to power as a theory of actuality is materialism interpreted romantically. -- For Nietzsche, psychology is based on an erroneous Platonic-Christian-Cartesian ontology. According to his view, man is a locus of psycho-physiological wills to power. Yet his opposition to reductionism and his proto-existentialistic stance demand an ontology that is not reducible to physiology. Will to power is the soul interpreted romantically. -- Will to power is a stillborn philosophical chimera: even with an element of naturalism, romanticism cannot be reconciled with ancient heroism. Nietzsche's attempts to erect a new philosophy of (will to) power ended in failure and it is reasonable to believe that Nietzsche recognised this.