Sverre Spoelstra
Senior lecturer
The truths and falsehoods of post-truth leaders
Author
Summary, in English
Over the last three years, the idea of a ‘post-truth society’ has become a common talking point. Politicians from around the world, from Europe to South America to the United States, have been labelled as ‘post-truth leaders’, with Donald Trump being portrayed as the standard bearer for this new kind of political discourse. This article suggests that post-truth leadership is nothing new. Ever since Max Weber developed his notion of charismatic leadership in the early 20th century, Western societies have been infatuated with the idea that leaders ought not concern themselves too much with factual reality. In a sense, leadership has been post-truth all along.
Department/s
- Organizational Studies
Publishing year
2020-12-01
Language
English
Pages
757-764
Publication/Series
Leadership
Volume
16
Issue
6
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Topic
- Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalization Studies)
Keywords
- charisma
- Donald Trump
- facts
- leadership
- Max Weber
- politics
- Post-truth
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1742-7150