The book's emphasis on reading and analysing works of international literature and making connections between them and leadership is a radical departure from the traditional texts. Understanding life is actually the key to understanding leadership, and doing so begins with understanding oneself. Traditional management strategies that are based on "scientific" study are not very helpful in understanding leadership. This book demonstrates how masterworks of literature from around the world can be read, analysed, and related to leadership issues in order to better understand leadership. The first chapter of the book is Don Quixote, a classic by Cervantes whose central figure declares, "I know who I am" and has confidence in himself. Other works that highlight significant difficulties come after this: In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, ambition and purpose,