Selected: Why Some People Lead, Why Others Follow, and Why It Matters - Hardcover

Van Vugt, Mark; Ahuja, Anjana

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307358623 ISBN 13: 9780307358622

Publisher: Random House Canada, 2011

Synopsis

A groundbreaking, evolutionary science-based exploration of the history of leadership that explains how and why some men and women evolve into good or great leaders, and some do not.

We are all leaders or followers — or both. We can recognise leadership in almost every area of life: in the workplace, among friends, within families, in politics and religion. But what makes a good or bad leader, and what makes an outstanding one? Selected examines how and why leadership has evolved over tens of thousands of years, and presents a bold and compelling new "mismatch hypothesis": the slowness of evolution means that there is a mismatch between modern leadership and the kind of leadership that our Stone Age brains are still wired for. This makes for all sorts of tendencies, problems and solutions that no author has yet discussed but that affect all aspects of our lives.

Full of fascinating examples drawn from a diverse range of spheres, from politics and commerce to sport and culture, Selected explains why taller political candidates usually win, why women chief executives attract such hostility, why we like it when the boss asks after our children and what prime ministers and presidents can do to improve their chances of electoral success.

This is the first book of its kind — reaching into business, psychology, politics and current affairs — to explore how leadership affects us all. It also offers the first truly scientific theory of leadership: where previous books have provided anecdote, it details empirical evidence. Selected provides deep insight into our personal and professional lives at a time when the world urgently needs to acknowledge great leadership.

About this title

From the Back Cover

A groundbreaking and definitive work of evolutionary psychology that upends everything we thought we knew about leadership

We are all leaders or followers—or both—and we can recognize leadership in almost every area of life. But what makes a good, bad, or even outstanding leader? Fusing psychology, business, evolutionary biology, and current affairs, Naturally Selected examines the evolution of leadership over several million years, from birds and bees to apes and humans, and presents a compelling new hypothesis: the slow pace of evolution has resulted in a mismatch between modern leadership and the kind of leadership for which our Stone Age brains are wired.

Grounded in rigorous academic scholarship, written with journalistic flair, and full of fascinating examples drawn from politics, commerce, sports, and culture, this extraordinary, eye-opening book explains:

• why tall presidential candidates usually beat short ones
• why great athletes often make lousy managers
• why we don't like working for huge companies
• why women chief executives attract hostility
• why middle managers are universally reviled

In doing so, Naturally Selected reveals how the psychology of leadership affects us all—and how we can change our lives by improving the ways we lead and follow.

About the Author

MARK VAN VUGT is professor of psychology at the VU University of Amsterdam and holds honorary positions at the Universities of Oxford and Kent in the UK.

ANJANA AHUJA is a feature writer with a weekly science column in the Times, where she first introduced Mark's work to a wider audience, and holds a Ph.D. in space physics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Canada
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0307358623
• ISBN 13: 9780307358622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272