Prologue: a discussion without end, and the nature of this inquiry
The great man and the beginning of contemporary discourse
More who than do and the trait vs. behavior debate
Whistling in the dark and the insertion of power between followers and leaders
The sublime myth and the ideology of purpose
(White) men named John and the persistence of bias
No longer just managing and the misuse of ideal types
Globalization and the challenge of complexity
Epilogue: key moments in leadership discourse and a plausible chronological narrative.