apprentice piece Archives - Eve Poole

I suppose it is inevitable that a relatively new academic field will get rather mired in definitions and distinctions before it eventually moves on to more practical matters. While the cognitive psychologists and moral philosophers would doubtless argue that right thought leads to right action, I am rather bored of leadership being so theoretical. Leadership is a fundamentally messy activity, and research across the disciplines shows that ‘trial and error’ tends to be far better teacher than any guru in a book or a classroom. To me, the word is also problematic. Leadership feels more like title or status rather than on-going activity. So I am now going to call it leadersmithing, because it is about apprenticeship, craft, and hours of practice. Read More