ABSTRACT

In this concluding chapter, I want to try to locate some of the themes discussed in the preceding chapters in the wider management literature, and emphasize how ‘on trend’ a book about leadership as emotional labour is at the present time. I will suggest that leadership theory has been at a crossroads for a number of years, and is looking to a more holistic understanding of leadership practice to launch itself forward into a new direction. The role of emotions in leadership work is, I believe, at the heart of this attempt. In framing this argument, the chapter outlines some of the themes in leadership/management thinking which characterize current debates and suggests the resonance of emotion-sensitive approaches.