"Toxic leaders - such as Ken Lay at Enron or Al Dunlap ("Chainsaw Al") at Sunbeam, or Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia - have always been with us, and many books explain what makes them tick. But in The Allure of Toxic Leaders, Jean Lipman-Blumen explains what makes followers tick, exploring why we tolerate - and remain steadfastly loyal to - leaders who are destructive to their organizations, their employees, their nations, and their constituents."--BOOK JACKET.

pt. I. The big picture -- 1. Toxic leaders : they're plentiful -- pt. II. Leaders, leaders, why do we all want leaders? -- 2. Within ourselves : psychological needs that make us seek leaders -- 3. Deeper within ourselves : angst and illusions about life, death, and immortality -- 4. A world of uncertainties and change ; a world of certainties and stability -- 5. Leadership in crisis : the dangers of creating God -- 6. An unfinished and unfinishable world : self-esteem, the achievement ethic, and the call to heroism -- pt. III. How we create willing followers and toxic leaders -- 7. Rationalizations and control myths : keeping toxic leaders in power -- 8. Pushing nontoxic leaders over the line -- 9. The odd couple : the media and boards of directors -- pt. IV. Liberating ourselves from the allure of toxic leaders -- 10. Is there any silver lining? Can any good come from tolerating a toxic leader? -- 11. What are our choices? How can we deal with toxic leaders? -- 12. Detecting the early signs of toxicity in noble visions and leaders -- 13. Freeing ourselves from toxic leaders : nurturing reluctant leaders and finding the leader within.