Preface -- The paradoxes of leadership -- Defining leadership -- Leadership realities -- What the classics teach us about leadership: from Gilgamesh to the Bible -- What the classics teach us about leadership: Machiavelli to Shakespeare -- What the classics teach us about leadership: the rise of constitutional democracy -- What business teaches us about leadership -- What politics teaches us about leadership -- What the military teaches us about leadership -- What Hollywood teaches us about leadership -- The darker side of leadership -- The creative side of leadership -- Leadership as a performing art.