{"title":"Books by Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780470030790","title":"The Leader on the Couch","description":"Despite the proven benefits of emotional intelligence, organizational life has typically been hostile to the inner world of feeling. Rationality is deemed superior to feeling, which can contaminate judgment. But without feeling there is no passion, and no action. This book sets out to change people and organizations for the better, by revealing the 'dark side' of leadership behaviour and its impact on performance. Tapping into the startling parallels between the journey to emotional intelligence, the process of psychoanalysis, the practice of leadership coaching and the Zen journey to enlightenment, renowned thinker Manfred Kets de Vries helps executives, consultants, and coaches to peel back the layers of self-deception and reveal how inner personality – largely hard-wired since early childhood – affects the way they lead and manage others.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56289673052533,"sku":"9780470030790","price":33.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780470030790_bb3cc164-f2af-4b40-a226-96396af27cb7.jpg?v=1786013947"},{"product_id":"9781032705200","title":"The Darker Side of Leadership","description":"\u003cp\u003eManfred Kets de Vries is one of the most authoritative voices on organizational dynamics, leadership, executive coaching, and psychotherapy today. The book offers a unique and original approach to answering the micro- and macro-psychological questions of how to mitigate against populism and autocratic leadership.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56295986430325,"sku":"9781032705200","price":38.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032705200_7448ca97-2681-414f-b7d4-bd7fae785eae.jpg?v=1786016914"},{"product_id":"9781032935539","title":"Narcissistic Leadership","description":"\u003cp\u003eNarcissism has become a contemporary pandemic that seems to have been normalized, accepted and even celebrated. In this book, world-renowned psychology and leadership thinker, Manfred Kets de Vries, explains this modern phenomenon, and imagines how you would help the narcissist on the notional 'coach's couch'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296044167541,"sku":"9781032935539","price":30.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032935539_99209e44-7d15-4328-a5b0-bc44656bf45a.jpg?v=1786017189"},{"product_id":"9781119973362","title":"The Hedgehog Effect","description":"In The Hedgehog Effect, Manfred Kets de Vries presents the case for leadership group coaching as an experiential training ground for learning to function as a high performance team. His group coaching model, incorporating living case studies, has been developed over more than 20 years of delivering programs to top-level executives and sets the standard in the field of leadership group coaching.  Written for coaches, consultants, leadership development directors, and anyone working in or with teams, The Hedgehog Effect begins with an in-depth analysis of what teams and groups are all about. The intricacies of leadership coaching are illustrated with an elaborate example of a team coaching intervention. In Part Two, the author applies a psychodynamic lens to the dynamics of teams and groups, taking a close look at relationship patterns, how groups evolve, and the phenomenon of the group-as-a-whole. Part Three takes a more systemic perspective, addressing the challenges that change processes pose for people in organizations, and how to create best places to work. Kets de Vries supports the whole with the story of an organizational change initiative accomplished through group coaching.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296451899765,"sku":"9781119973362","price":34.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781119973362_d851d0fd-3f3b-46dc-a461-566402a48527.jpg?v=1786018720"},{"product_id":"9781349953929","title":"Telling Fairy Tales in the Boardroom","description":"We know where we are with a fairy story. There is a cast of predictable characters, the hero or heroine is submitted to terrible trials, cruelty, and injustice but in the end the baddies get their comeuppance, good triumphs, and everyone lives happily ever after. In this book Manfred Kets de Vries, one of the world's leading authorities on the psychology of leadership, and a pioneering practitioner in the field of psychodynamic executive coaching, draws on the format of traditional fairy tales and tells us five stories that dramatize five key themes of dysfunctional leadership. The accompanying commentaries analyze each tale and examine the ways in which it applies to leadership behavior and organizational practices. This diagnostic element is supported by self-assessment tests that reinforce the main lessons of each tale and guide the reader's interpretation of the results. With Kets de Vries's guidance you'll be able to help your clients create best places to work, where everyoneis the best they can be, and lives 'happily ever after'.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56297894052213,"sku":"9781349953929","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781349953929_1c4f51e3-8408-4b1b-9118-ca2bf3e6e183.jpg?v=1786018938"},{"product_id":"9783030626006","title":"The CEO Whisperer","description":"At this critical junction in the history of humankind, leaders that are proficient in magical thinking aren’t going to solve our problems. Creating alternative realities is not the answer. We need a very different kind of leadership—leaders who can resist the calls of regression and whose outlook is firmly based in reality. We need leaders who analyze and draw conclusions from, or use their own experiences as a development tool, face their strengths and weaknesses, and critique their own experiences in order to build new understandings. In this very personal and entertaining book, Manfred Kets de Vries, one of the “gurus” in the field of leadership studies offers his thoughts on leadership and life, reflections written for executives and the people who deal with them. As a psychoanalyst and leadership professor let loose in the world of renowned global organizations—as a passionate educator and scholar, or just a human being at the receiving end of heart-rending emails—he examines thepitfalls of leadership and the challenges for the professionals who work with senior executives in today’s AI-focused world. He points out why leaders can derail, and what steps they can take to prevent this from happening. Ultimately, this book encourages you to “Know yourself,” but makes no bones about the challenge it represents. Understanding our “inner theatre” will always be an uphill struggle. Kets de Vries points out why deep dives into our inner world are always fraught with many anxieties. Included in the many subjects covered by the author are the loneliness of command, the management of disappointment, the destructive role of greed, the impact of stubbornness, the role of storytelling, the importance of wellness, and the role of corporate culture. In addition, the book addresses the important topic of how to create great teams and best places to work. Furthermore, the book touches on endings– the ending of our career and the growing realization of the inevitable ending of our life. As time grows short, Kets de Vries emphasizes that we have no time to lose in dealing with our anxieties, regrets, and the things we spend much of our life determined not to see. Taking a deep dive into self-knowledge requires courage and support, and he is here to guide you through it.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56310034039157,"sku":"9783030626006","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783030626006_d63d0cd9-65ce-449c-9781-b56f589cb81a.jpg?v=1786032228"},{"product_id":"9781032815619","title":"Storytelling for Leaders","description":"\u003cp\u003eStories matter. Written by renowned psychoanalyst, leadership scholar, and executive coach, Manfred Kets de Vries, this book uncovers, explains and captures the power and art of storytelling at work and in life, and how it can be applied in organizations to powerful effect.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312084398453,"sku":"9781032815619","price":33.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032815619_007ce8c2-ab2c-4158-9b4f-63f3beadb0de.jpg?v=1786017014"},{"product_id":"9781041090304","title":"The Management of Loss","description":"\u003cp\u003eLoss is experienced in many ways-from death, job loss, the emotional reactions concerning retirement, divorce and separation, and the feelings of loss that come with boredom and loneliness. World-renowned psychologist and executive coach, Manfred Kets de Vries, explains how loss can be managed in life and work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367937159541,"sku":"9781041090304","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781041090304.jpg?v=1786017176"},{"product_id":"9781041212560","title":"The Reflective Leader Within","description":"In a world defined by constant disruption, the most powerful leadership tool may be the one you’ve never fully explored—your own inner landscape. This extraordinary book transcends conventional management theory to offer something far more profound: a journey into the uncharted territories of the human psyche. Through masterfully crafted essays that blend wry humor with psychological depth, Manfred Kets de Vries—one of the world’s leading thinkers on leadership and executive development—reveals how confronting your hidden emotions, unconscious motives, and buried fears can unlock your greatest leadership potential.   Drawing on decades of experience in psychodynamic-systemic coaching and consulting, Kets de Vries weaves together vivid case studies, personal reflections, and timeless insights into the paradoxes of power, the fragility of ego, and the search for authenticity in turbulent times. Written in an intimate, conversational style that feels like a dialogue with a trusted mentor, these essays challenge you to question inherited beliefs, confront uncomfortable truths, and embrace the stranger within. The result is an unconventional yet deeply practical approach to leadership—one that transforms confusion into clarity, anxiety into purpose, and complexity into opportunity.   For professionals in leadership, coaching, consulting, and psychotherapy, as well as readers seeking deeper self-understanding, this is not just another business book. It is a guide to self-awareness and transformation, and an essential companion for those courageous enough to explore the inner frontier where true leadership begins.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56420549263733,"sku":"9781041212560","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781041212560_a98880ae-3ea0-4f13-bbb0-424d3afa900b.jpg?v=1786017002"},{"product_id":"the-neurotic-organization","title":"The Neurotic Organization","description":"Is your organization obsessive-compulsive or passive-aggressive? Corporate neurosis expert Manfred Kets de Vries analyzes dysfunctional organizational behavior in terms of accepted psychoanalytic types and arrives at some genuine insights into why some companies are healthier than others.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57481664070005,"sku":"9780875896069","price":53.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780875896069.jpg?v=1786089950"},{"product_id":"the-daily-perils-of-executive-life","title":"The Daily Perils of Executive Life","description":"\u003cp\u003eDuring a period of enforced solitude during the Covid-19 pandemic, Manfred Kets de Vries became introspective, reflective, and considered how executives could emerge from unprecedented global events. The result is a collection of 23 thought-provoking and focused chapters to help executives take stock and re-evaluate their path during a time of uncertainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning with essays on 'Managing Self,' Kets de Vries starts with people's search for meaning and how we can deal with this important question. Given our need for meaning, the question of human energy is discussed. What gives executives energy? What makes them feel alive? How best to use this energy? Several essays in this section deal with the effects of the pandemic on people's perception and management of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second section focuses on leadership and highlights several executive types you've probably encountered at work and struggle to deal with; complainers, belligerent people, and borderlines, will be part of this parade. Also touching upon mental health issues and how organizations should deal with this, this section gives a deep insight into the leadership issues that we now face in what might be termed 'the new normal.'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, Kets de Vries places societal issues under the microscope. Tackling a multitude of interrelated topics, he explores the challenges of bringing in democratic processes into organizational settings, as well as the perils of loneliness and the issues faced by women in organization - and how society can better deal with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLittered with Manfred Kets de Vries' trademark wit and psychological insight into the pressing issues of today, these essays can be read independently or as part of a guided tour around the daily perils of executive life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57492494057845,"sku":"9783030917623","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783030917623.jpg?v=1786529376"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-manfred-f-r-kets-de-vries.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}