In the previous book in this series, Manfred Kets de Vries observed the
experiences of leaders on a rollercoaster ride through their
professional and personal lives. Now, he follows them down the rabbit
hole into the unknown, where, like Lewis Carroll's Alice, they find a
dystopian Wonderland in which everyone seems to have gone mad and life
functions according to its own crazy logic, throwing up all kinds of
obstacles in the search for truth.
Understanding what is happening around us has become more difficult than
ever in the Age of Trump. Don't imperatives like "build that wall" sound
very much like "Off with his head"? Unfortunately, and unlike Alice, we
are not going to wake up from a bad dream and discover that everything
is "nothing but a pack of cards".
The first part of this book looks at the psychodynamics of leadership in
both a business and a political context. The second focuses on the
psychopathology of everyday life in organizations and the seemingly
endless ways people can make a mess of things - including mega pay
packages, acting out, digital addiction and other dysfunctional
behaviour patterns. Each chapter ends with a brief anecdote to
illustrate the dilemma it presents.
In short, sharp nuggets, Kets de Vries helps make sense of how the
madness of the present has affected leadership in organizations and the
workplace.