Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries Livres

Bringing together cases written by experienced leadership and executive coaches from all over the world, this project explores the most demanding and challenging situations they have faced in their professional practices. By analysing and reflecting on the real life case studies the authors show how to deal with these situations in daily life.

Insightful essays explode the myth that rationality is what governs the behavior of leaders and followers, and provide a more realistic perspective on organizational functioning that takes into account the profound psychological force at work in the leader-follower relationship. Cites examples from business, history, literature, and arts to identify distinct leader types. Numerous case studies of both successful and failed leaders give consultants and managers the tools to detect and act on problems in leadership, offers organizational behaviorists a better understanding of the leader-follower dynamic, and gives leaders the means to transform themselves.

"In these most turbulent of times when enlightened leadership is needed more than ever, relying simply on knowledge, data and information as the sources for our decisions can only direct us toward solutions too superficial to solve the problems before us. We must look instead to ground our leadership in a deeper and more subtle form of discernment--wisdom. As a pioneering practitioner and educator in the field of clinical and psychodynamic-systemic executive coaching, Kets de Vries is in a unique position to shed light on this path. His compact, reflective volume begins with three chapters that lay the foundation for our understanding of wisdom and our grasping of what he calls the 'wisdom equation'. These chapters are followed by eight lessons on wisdom, each focusing on a particular aspect of wisdom or on developing a related skill. Woven throughout are anecdotes and tales from various spiritual and cultural traditions that enrich and give deeper significance to his argument. This small volume serves as an invitation to explore the importance of wisdom as a foundational principle in our lives and a powerful vehicle for generating the kind of reflective leaders most needed in our troubled world."-- Provided by publisher

Also touching upon mental health issues and how organizations should deal with this, this section gives a deep insight into the leadership issues that we now face in what might be termed 'the new normal.'Finally, Kets de Vries places societal issues under the microscope.

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.

Instead, Kets de Vries shows that our life is enriched, and our ability to make meaning and find happiness is increased, when we acknowledge the inevitable price we have to pay for knowing our own mind and understanding our inevitable end.

A pro-active book containing clear strategies to become happier and live a more fulfilling life. Through his coaching work with senior executives, the author has come to the conclusion that self-knowledge and the pursuit of happiness are inextricably linked. He has revealed the four keys to happiness: maintain a positive state of mind; be self-reliant and use your initaiative; accept that self pity and quitting don't bring happiness; strive to feel in control.

Looks at entrepreneurship, the pathology of leadership, and the personality of the leader.

Exploring the profound impact of 'Sex, Money, Happiness, and Death,' this book delves into the essential aspects of life that resonate with both executives and individuals alike. Drawing from the author's rich background as a psychoanalyst, professor, and leadership coach, it offers insightful perspectives on how these fundamental tenets shape our professional and personal experiences. The examination encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and the interplay of these elements in achieving fulfillment and success.

World-renowned management guru and expert in corporate neurosis Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries puts organizations on the couch. By combining the dismal science of management and the impossible profession of psychoanalysis, Kets de Vries presents eclectic advice on how things really work in organizations.These brief and insightful essays not only decipher problems that are common in organizational life, but they also shed light on some of the underlying dimensions that often go unnoticed.Kets de Vries covers everything from leadership and entrepreneurship to downsizing and managing acquisitions, using contemporary examples like Robert Maxwell, Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Robert Coles, and John Gardner.