This paper offers a framework for introducing, developing, and integrating leadership concepts by borrowing from the thought of William James. Writing in 1897 and ensconced in one of the great philosophical debates of his time, James cleverly appropriated elements of evolutionary theory to explain the origin and emergence of great individuals. I show how these ideas can be meaningfully related to contemporary leadership theory, and argue that scholarship and education would benefit by expanding the conception of management to include more general intellectual discourse.
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