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Leadership
Perspectives from Practice

Second Edition
  • Laura Galloway - Heriot-Watt University, UK, Professor of Business & Enterprise, Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, UK


February 2026 | 200 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

This comprehensive and succinct book provides an overview of leadership theory and practice, focusing on practical application and contemporary issues such as gender, culture, ethics and diversity.

Central to the book are the testimonies of eight leaders from around the world, who share perspectives on leadership gained from a diverse range of industries and companies. As you read, you’re invited to reflect on your own personal experiences of leadership and how good leadership practices can benefit organisations and the people working within them.

New to this edition:

  • New leadership testimonies from leaders in Denmark and the Netherlands.
  • New content on emotional intelligence, imposter syndrome, authenticity and cultural intelligence.
  • Updated content on women’s leadership, the relationship between ethics and profits and the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance in leadership.

This is an essential text for MBA students of leadership, as well as undergraduate and postgraduates looking for an accessible guide to real-world leadership.

The book is accompanied by a Teaching Guide and PowerPoint slides for lecturers.

Laura Galloway PhD is Professor of Business and Enterprise at Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University and joint Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

 
Chapter 1 Understanding leadership: Pioneering, influencing and motivating
 
Chapter 2 Traditional approaches to leadership
 
Chapter 3 Modern approaches to leadership
 
Chapter 4 New trends in undestanding leadership
 
Chapter 5 Leadership contexts: from theory to practice
 
Chapter 6 Leading and diversity
 
Chapter 7 Leading and culture
 
Chapter 8 Leading and ethics
 
Chapter 9 Developing leadership and developing leaders
Key features
  • Engages with contemporary issues, including ethical and cultural aspects of leadership. 
  • Clear, concise writing with practice-oriented focus. This book meets a market need for less dense academic material to serve the MBA market as well as leadership courses with more of a vocational and practical focus. This clearly differentiates Galloway from our cluster of academic, theory-intensive texts like Bratton, Schedlitzki and Carroll. 
  • Shows real-life leaders, not famous people, allowing students to envisage themselves as future leaders. 
  • International examples and context, in recognition of the cultural diversity of students, case studies, examples and the Perspectives from Practice leader profiles are sourced from around the world. 
  • Coverage of inclusive leadership, including dedicated chapters on leading and diversity, and leading and culture.

Pedagogy:

  • Key concepts boxes: used for highlighting key pieces of information and breaking up the text. 
  • Perspectives from Practice are testimonials from real-life leaders - these provide valuable personal insights to enhance understanding. Gives the reader an opportunity to apply theory to practice. 
  • Chapter summaries consolidate learning from each chapter. 
  • End of chapter exercises allow the reader to assess their own understanding and increase their engagement with the text.