Neuroscience and Leadership

In his critique of the application of neuroscience to leadership, and especially the use of neurological indicators to predict and select leaders, Lindebaum (2013) makes the point that, despite the developing interest in the concept, there are a raft of problematical issues, both methodologically and morally. I agree with this conclusion. I also agree with Lindebaum’s assertion that what Ringleb and Rock (2008, p. 3) referred to as “NeuroLeadership” is becoming a new management fad. Nonetheless, having written extensively on emotional intelligence, cited as a “management fad,” I would like to issue a warning here that scholars must take care not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”...