Storytelling for Leaders

Stories matter. Written by renowned psychoanalyst, leadership scholar, and executive coach, Manfred Kets de Vries, this book uncovers, explains and captures the power and art of storytelling at work and in life, and how it can be applied in organizations to powerful effect.

Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries is the Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change at INSEAD and was the Founder of INSEAD's Global Leadership Center. The Financial Times, Wirtschaftswoche, Le Capital, El Pais, and The Economist have rated him among the world's leading management thinkers. As a global consultant in leadership development, his clients have included many of the world's most important global organizations. He is the author of more than 50 books, hundreds of articles, and the recipient of numerous awards, including four honorary doctorates. He is also the Chairman of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI), a boutique leadership development consulting firm.

Introduction 1. Being a storyteller 2. The storytelling "cure" 3. The Scheherazade method 4. Leaders who tell stories rule the world 5. Stories that plead for help 6. The golden larva syndrome 7. The idiocy of stupidity 8. Beyond stupidity 9. Overcoming adversity 10. The influencers' world of make-believe 11. Sleeping your way to the top 12. I want to have a life Concluding comments Epigraph sources