Abstract

This article is based on the proceedings of a leadership seminar held at University of California, Berkeley on November 17, 2003. As an introduction to the topic, this article first discusses some of the central issues in the field of leadership, some internal tensions in the field, and the relationship between leadership theory and practice. The seminar brought together four distinguished scholars and business leaders to converse about leadership, not only from the perspectives of the different experiences the participants have in business, foundation, and academic institutions, but also with respect to issues such as: What is laudable and what is despicable leadership? What is the role of leadership in business school research and curriculum? What is the relation between leaders and managers? How does governance temper leadership? The panelists were: John Reed, known for his long-term leadership role as CEO of CitiCorp (and most recently as interim chairman and CEO of NYSE); Eric Wanner, President of the Russell Sage Foundation; Professor James March, Stanford University; and Professor David Teece, University of California, Berkeley.