ABSTRACT
This chapter contributes to the understanding of the inner world of the leader by using the concept of solitude which up to now has been neglected by the leadership research and literature. Solitude is a vital social phenomenon, a familiar positive experience for anyone, and a popular concept in poetry, music, and literature. However, solitude fulfils its role as leadership meta-competence successfully only when the leader desires and seeks it and is able to experience it constructively. The chapter begins by defining solitude as a voluntarily activate mental and psychological state and as a positive and constructive experience for the leader. It draws mainly from the disciplines of psychology and philosophy and discusses some of the positive effects of solitude, such as self-reflection, self-awareness, self-leadership, decision making, creativity, and moral thinking, on leader's competencies. The chapter presents the empirical aspect of solitude as manifest in a qualitative and quantitative study employing middle and upper-level managers.
