ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Sigmund Freud’s (1921) theory of leadership, and several modern theories that deal with issues raised earlier by Freud. I am not a Freudian, but have found Freud’s treatment of leadership unusually original and provocative and still highly relevant to understanding leadership, His theory is visionary given his intellectual time and place. He cut a trail, but no one really followed until the trail had grown over. Looking back, we can see that he was there first in regard to many important leadership issues. Most important perhaps, Freud deals in fascinating ways with the affective relations between leaders and followers. While dubious in many respects, his ideas shine the light on highly important issues, and, as will become clear, Freud took on issues that other important theorists pursued after Freud’s writing.
