Leadership Lessons from the Trump Presidency

This book seeks to demonstrate that we can learn from both 'good' and 'bad' leaders. Part One looks at President Trump’s behaviour from inauguration to impeachment. The ancient Greek concepts of Kairos and Chronos are used to indicate that Trump was almost a natural fit for the US of 2017. Part Two considers the consequences of his behaviour on the US, the world at large, and for leadership overall.

There is a temptation to consider only 'good' leaders when asking what we can learn from others. This book explores the issue of what can be learned from any person in a leadership role, no matter what the value judgement we make of them. Part One explores Trump’s behaviour up to the moment of impeachment and the longer-term residual impacts this will have once his term as President is over. It shows that our value judgements tend to be based on perception and a priori assumptions. Part Two explores what we can learn from the Trump event no matter what our leadership role.

Disruption is endemic in today’s world. Today, it often seems that we are born, live, and die, in three quite different worlds. Yet, at its core, things have changed very little. Oligarchy has been a reality since time immemorial. Unless we are first 'unfrozen' from the status quo, change tends to be more cosmetic than actual. Donald Trump’s presidency has the potential to be the thawing agent that could enable 'real' change through which new forms of both democracy and capitalism might emerge across the world.

Douglas Long, PhD, teaches in the University of New South Wales School of Management in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of three previous books published by Routledge-Gower.