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Discovering the secrets of leadership success: Comparing commercial and academic preoccupations

Author

Listed:
  • Mazlan Maskor
  • Niklas K Steffens

    (School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia)

  • Kim Peters

    (Business School, The University of Exeter, Exeter, UK)

  • S Alexander Haslam

    (School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia)

Abstract

Having access to the “secrets†of leadership promises to be immensely valuable to those wishing to lead. But what are these “secrets†? In this study, we examined the types of non-academic theorizing (communicated as leadership “secrets†) that writings for a general audience convey. A content analysis of 131 commercial books on leadership “secrets†revealed seven major “secrets†that pertained to (1) knowledge and learning, (2) habits, behaviors, and practices, (3) handling failure, challenges, and struggle, (4) personal inspiration, drive, and motivation, (5) team, group, and organizational strategy, (6) choices and decisions, and (7) communication skills. Intriguingly, the prevalence of leadership “secrets†varied in a cyclical pattern across time such that some “secrets†lost prominence in one period only to reemerge in another. We also observed a considerable degree of correspondence between the foci of topics in these commercial outlets and the foci of academic publications. JEL Classification: J24, O15, M12

Suggested Citation

  • Mazlan Maskor & Niklas K Steffens & Kim Peters & S Alexander Haslam, 2022. "Discovering the secrets of leadership success: Comparing commercial and academic preoccupations," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 47(1), pages 79-104, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ausman:v:47:y:2022:i:1:p:79-104
    DOI: 10.1177/0312896221988933
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    leadership secrets; leadership theory; commercial books; non-academic literature;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation

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