Page 25 - The extraordinary leader

2 • The Extraordinary Leader

people,” the immediate follow-up question is, “How do you do that?” It is to
those two basic questions that we address this book.
Does the world need anything more written on the subject of leadership?
On the one hand, it could be argued that the answer is a loud “No!”
Consider the fact that more than 10,000 articles have been published about
leadership in the past century. Whereas some are based on research, most
reflect the personal opinions of the authors regarding leadership, derived from
their own experiences or their observations of leaders. Many are written by
successful business executives and reflect their own beliefs about what made
them successful.
Add to that approximately a thousand research studies that have been
conducted on leadership and published in scholarly journals. Then add nearly
a thousand books that have been written about leadership over the past 100
years. Many of these were written by practicing leaders, and others were writ-
ten by academicians and consultants who sought to explain this important
role that some people perform. Given that immense body of literature, it
would seem futile to add yet one more book.

The Reasons for One More Book
Despite that extensive literature, leadership remains shrouded in mystery.
Rather than making the subject clearer, one recognized leadership expert,
Warren Bennis, summed it up by saying “the more that is written about lead-
ership, the less we seem to know.”
Regarding the enormous number of research studies that have been con-
ducted, another respected scholar observed, “The results of many of these
studies are contradictory or lack any clear conclusion.” 1

How Mysteries Are Solved?
There is an astonishing description of one approach to solving a mystery in
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes tale.
The Sign of Four. Dr. Watson remarks to Sherlock Holmes, “I have a gold
watch in my possession. Would you have the kindness to let me have an
opinion upon the character or habits of the late owner?” Watson was testing
Holmes and attempting to tone down his arrogant manner. Holmes then com-
plained that because the watch had recently been cleaned, he was robbed of