What will I learn about: why myths about flawless, heroic leaders actually prevent new leaders from succeeding by setting impossible standards?

Discover why myths about flawless, heroic leaders actually prevent new leaders from succeeding by setting impossible standards.

What will I learn about: how self-promotion, overconfidence, and even narcissism can help you command respect and steer organizations through crises?

Understand how self-promotion, overconfidence, and even narcissism can help you command respect and steer organizations through crises.

What will I learn about: Learn why you should stop worrying about being completely 'authentic' and instead practice projecting confidence until it becomes natural?

Learn why you should stop worrying about being completely 'authentic' and instead practice projecting confidence until it becomes natural.

What will I learn about: why successful leaders aren't afraid to use strategic lies to achieve their goals and maintain their power?

Find out why successful leaders aren't afraid to use strategic lies to achieve their goals and maintain their power.

What will I learn about: Gain a realistic perspective on leadership that challenges the modern assumption that you must always be empathetic and nice to reach the top?

Gain a realistic perspective on leadership that challenges the modern assumption that you must always be empathetic and nice to reach the top.

Leadership BS

Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time

Jeffrey Pfeffer

★ 3.7 / 5(313 ratings)

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Categories:

Management & Leadership

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that the traits most leadership gurus tell you to cultivate might actually be the very things preventing you from reaching the top?
💡Have you ever wondered why the 'squeaky-clean' image of successful CEOs rarely matches the cutthroat reality of how they actually gained power?
💡Are you curious about why the multi-billion dollar leadership industry consistently fails to produce better leaders—and what it’s really hiding from you?

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Key Takeaways from Leadership BS

✓Discover why myths about flawless, heroic leaders actually prevent new leaders from succeeding by setting impossible standards.
✓Understand how self-promotion, overconfidence, and even narcissism can help you command respect and steer organizations through crises.
✓Learn why you should stop worrying about being completely 'authentic' and instead practice projecting confidence until it becomes natural.
✓Find out why successful leaders aren't afraid to use strategic lies to achieve their goals and maintain their power.
✓Gain a realistic perspective on leadership that challenges the modern assumption that you must always be empathetic and nice to reach the top.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Leadership BS

Mind Map

Leadership BS

The Myth of the Heroic Leader+

Narcissism & Self-Promotion+

The Authenticity Trap+

The Utility of Lying+

Trust & Broken Commitments+

Power, Blame & Self-Interest+

The Illusion of Loyalty+

Observing Real Behavior+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

Why does the author argue that creating flawless biographies of business leaders is detrimental?

A. It exposes the illegal activities of corporations to the public.
B. It discourages people from trying to lead because they feel they cannot live up to a perfect legacy.
C. It makes it harder for companies to hire competent biographers and public relations teams.
D. It causes employees to demand higher wages and better benefits from their seemingly perfect bosses.

Question 2 of 8

According to studies mentioned in the text, how do narcissistic traits impact CEOs during a financial crisis?

A. They cause CEOs to panic and make irrational decisions that bankrupt the company.
B. They make CEOs overly empathetic, causing them to prioritize employee retention over profits.
C. They lead to increased chances of the company's survival due to a stronger desire for action and risk-taking.
D. They result in the CEO being quickly replaced by a more modest and cautious leader.

Question 3 of 8

What is the book's perspective on 'authenticity' in leadership?

A. It is the most crucial trait for building long-term trust with employees and stakeholders.
B. It should only be practiced during private meetings with senior management.
C. It naturally develops once a leader has been in their position for more than five years.
D. It is less important than displaying confidence and poise, even if those emotions have to be faked.

Question 4 of 8

Why do many talent-management companies intentionally mislead employees about their chances of being promoted?

A. To establish friendlier relationships and keep employees happy and motivated.
B. To secretly identify which employees are most likely to steal company resources.
C. To justify future pay cuts and reductions in workplace benefits.
D. To force underperforming employees to quit voluntarily without severance pay.

Question 5 of 8

How does the public perception of contract breaching generally differ between individuals and organizations?

A. When an individual breaks a contract, it is ignored, but when an organization does it, it leads to severe legal penalties.
B. Individuals are praised for their strategic thinking, while organizations are heavily criticized by the media.
C. When an individual breaks a contract, it is seen as reprehensible, but when an organization does it, it is viewed as an unavoidable fact of business.
D. Both individuals and organizations are judged equally harshly for breaking their commitments.

Question 6 of 8

What did a 1975 sociological study reveal about the rising number of school administrators?

A. Administrators increase in number because schools constantly require more specialized educational programs.
B. Administrators use their accumulated power to protect their own jobs during tough times, causing their numbers to stack up.
C. The increase is primarily due to government mandates requiring strict oversight of teacher performance.
D. Administrators are frequently hired to act as scapegoats for the failures of the teaching staff.

Question 7 of 8

Why do leaders generally feel no obligation to reciprocate an employee's loyalty and hard work?

A. They assume that loyal employees are secretly plotting to take over their leadership positions.
B. They are legally prohibited from showing favoritism or rewarding individual employees.
C. They lack the emotional intelligence required to recognize when an employee is working hard.
D. They believe that an employee's efforts are already fully repaid by their paycheck.

Question 8 of 8

According to the book, what is the best way to discover the 'ugly truths' of how successful leaders operate?

A. Pay close attention to what leaders actually do rather than what they say.
B. Read the most popular and highly-rated leadership books on the market.
C. Interview the lowest-ranking employees in the organization.
D. Analyze the company's quarterly financial statements and tax returns.

Leadership BS — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — The myths we’ve created around popular business leaders keep new leaders from succeeding.
32 — Self-confidence and narcissism can help leaders reach the top and stay there.
43 — Focus less on authenticity and more on projecting confidence and poise, even if it’s fake.
54 — Successful leaders use lies to achieve their goals and keep employees happy.
65 — Trust isn’t essential in leadership, since deals often have to be broken.
76 — Successful leaders prioritize staying in power and shifting the blame.
87 — Workers and employers have no real reason to feel loyal to each other.
98 — You can learn the ugly truths of leadership by watching leaders in action.
109 — Final summary

Leadership BS Summary & Overview

Leadership BS (2015) looks at the dirty world of business executives to see what life’s really like at the top of the corporate ladder. What we find is something quite different than the squeaky-clean image most motivational leadership gurus and CEO biographies will try to sell you. Discover what a nasty business you’ll really have to get into if you want to become a successful leader in today’s cutthroat business world.

Who Should Listen to Leadership BS?

Managers, bosses and anyone interested in leadership skills
Readers interested in social science
Students of business

About the Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer

Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has taught many classes on effective human-resource management. Today, he is considered one of the world’s leading management experts, with published research on organizational power that goes back nearly 30 years. He is also the author of Power, which details how readers can successfully wield power in their everyday lives.

Leadership BS

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Leadership BS — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Leadership BS

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Leadership BS — Full Chapter Overview

Leadership BS Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Leadership BS?

About the Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer

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