This book shows how a business version of rational leadership develops business corporations (and inspires people with confidence) by using the appropriate rational methods. The book presents classic examples of leaders using these corporation-developing methods to establish or enhance an iconic corporation. The main examples are Sloan (General Motors), Ohno (Toyota), Kroc (McDonalds), Walton (Walmart), Grove (Intel), and Whitman (eBay). These examples cover a wide range of different times, from the 1920s to the 2000s, and different industries, from fast-food and the automobile to microprocessors and e-commerce. In addition to being ‘best practice’ examples, they present a ‘leader’s-eye view’ through autobiographical writings, which are supplemented and corroborated by biographical and historical sources. (There are other supplementary examples that include Bezos of Amazon, Sandberg of Facebook, Jobs of Apple, Armani of Armani fashion, and Roddick of The Body Shop.) There is a comparative aspect, too, as the examples also describe the variation in leaders’ selection or emphasising of particular methods, which vary according to the circumstances or a leader’s personal preferences. The conclusion suggests that the book’s approach should also be applied to versions of military leadership and the political leaders of contemporary democracies. The book has been prepared as both an academic monograph and a graduate text, but will also appeal to general readers who are interested in leadership and/or business.
