A first-rate madness

This title was one of the more interesting books to capture my attention in 2022. The premise - that mentally illness can aid in the development of crisis leadership traits/skills - is just that: interesting. The extension of that premise - that mentally healthy leaders struggle in crisis situations is downright provocative for someone that studies both strategic leadership and crisis leadership.

All told, I'm glad to have read the book. I enjoyed it.

Yet, I find myself in a position where I cannot say that I agree with Ghaemi's premise, nor do I disagree with it. I do not believe the text developed the argument enough for me to decide. The author identifies several historical leaders and discusses their potential mental illness alongside their performance in career-defining crises. The text takes more pains to convince the reader that the leaders under consideration had some manner of mental illness than it does to connect the effects of the illnesses to their performance in crises. That's to be expected given the author's background, which is why the narrative serves as enjoyable fodder for ongoing consideration. For a more deliberate connection to leadership, though, I would loved to have seen what this book could be had Ghaemi written it in collaboration with a leadership scholar.

The value of this read doesn't end there, though. The reader can't help but ask hard questions about crisis.

What is crisis?
What does crisis do to leaders?
Do we resolve crises, or do we just adapt “around” them?