A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Leadership

Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘ Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap ’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way.

This was the most helpful book I read during my entire first year as a Ph.D. student.  Reading this book felt like having a good mentor nearby.


The authors explore the complex nature of leadership through different lenses, or chapters, including leadership through the leader, follower, process, performance, place, and purpose. This third edition covers new content on emerging fields such as brute capitalism, business schools, and leadership development.

The authors highlight intriguing aspects such as the romance of leadership in that followers "tend to exaggerate the role of leadership when things are going very well or very badly," and that being a good follower is not seen as a coveted position in the Western world.

Brad Jackson is the Head of School of Government and Professor of Public and Community Leadership at Victoria University of Wellington. Prior to this he was the Fletcher Building Education Trust Chair in Leadership and Co-Director of the New Zealand Leadership Institute at The University of Auckland Business School. Brad has authored five books including A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book About Studying Leadership and co-edited the Sage Handbook of Leadership and Major Works in Leadership. Brad is the former Vice-Chair of the International Leadership Association, a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management and The Leadership Trust.