While much has been written on the subject, a crucial component of leadership has been largely ignored: the mind of the leader and the minds of his or her followers. Linking the study of creativity and leadership, Gardner demonstrates the strong tie between traditional creators (artists and scientists) and leaders in the realms of business, politics, and the military.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [367]-380) and indexes.

Introduction : A cognitive approach to leadership -- Human development and leadership -- The leaders' stories -- Margaret Mead : an observer of diverse cultures educates her own -- J. Robert Oppenheimer : the teaching of physics, the lessons of politics -- Robert Maynard Hutchins : bringing "the higher learning" to America -- Alfred P. Sloane, Jr. : the business of America -- George C. Marshall : the embodiment of the good soldier -- Pope John XXIII : rediscovering the spirit of the church -- Eleanor Roosevelt : ordinariness and extraordinariness -- Martin Luther King, Jr. : leading in a rapidly changing environment -- Margaret Thatcher : a clear sense of identity -- A generation of world leaders -- Jean Monnet and Mahatma Gandhi : leadership beyond national boundaries -- Lessons from the past, implications for the future -- Appendix I : The eleven leaders viewed along the principal dimensions of leadership -- Appendix II : The leaders of the Second World War.