Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings
(When) Do Leaders Make a Difference?
Will be published approx. on 1. September 2026
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-241-53746-6 (ISBN)
Description
Can one political leader change the course of history? Should CEOs be given big bonuses when a company performs well? Will firing a coach actually change the fortunes of the team? What does a religion's success owe to a charismatic founder?
In a fresh take on the interplay of power, character and success, world-renowned historian and bestselling author Jared Diamond argues that great leaders are so much more than either heroic exceptions or products of circumstance. Looking at natural experiments in four different spheres - history, business, sport and religion - Diamond asks under which conditions is a leader most likely to make a difference and why.
Drawing on examples of iconic leaders - from Botswana president Seretse Khama to environmentalist Rachel Carson to legendary UCLA football coach John Wooden - Diamond shows us how effectiveness is determined by a range of complex interrelated factors, from resources to geography, culture to technology.
Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings is a thought-provoking assessment of when leaders can bring about effective change, when they don't, and perhaps whether we need them at all.
In a fresh take on the interplay of power, character and success, world-renowned historian and bestselling author Jared Diamond argues that great leaders are so much more than either heroic exceptions or products of circumstance. Looking at natural experiments in four different spheres - history, business, sport and religion - Diamond asks under which conditions is a leader most likely to make a difference and why.
Drawing on examples of iconic leaders - from Botswana president Seretse Khama to environmentalist Rachel Carson to legendary UCLA football coach John Wooden - Diamond shows us how effectiveness is determined by a range of complex interrelated factors, from resources to geography, culture to technology.
Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings is a thought-provoking assessment of when leaders can bring about effective change, when they don't, and perhaps whether we need them at all.
Reviews / Votes
Jared Diamond's erudite, engaging and thought-provoking book takes us a huge step forward toward understanding how circumstances and individual talents, determination and strategy make leaders that have the potential to change our world (hopefully for the better) -- Daron Acemoglu, Nobel Laureate and co-author of <i> Why Nations Fail </i> We live in turbulent times, and our societies look to exceptional individuals to navigate us out of crisis. But do leaders matter? And, if yes, what determines a leader's success? A must-read from the grand master of analytic history -- Peter Turchin, author of <i> End Times </i> Praise for Jared Diamond * - * An undisputed global star of comparative history -- Andrew Marr * The Times * One of the few people who have changed the way we see human nature and our history * Independent * Wears the mantle of a modern-day prophet * Guardian * One of the most interesting and arresting writers of our age * Mail on Sunday * The most considered, courageous and sensitive teller of the human story writing today * Independent on Sunday * A master of at least nine academic disciplines, from anthropology to ornithology, and the subject of his books is never less than everything -- Bryan Appleyard * Sunday Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-53746-6 (9780241537466)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
approx. 09/2026
Penguin Books Ltd
€14.99
Not yet available
Person
Jared Diamond is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the seminal million-copy-bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, which was named one of Time magazine's best non-fiction books of all time, Collapse, a No. 1 international bestseller, and The World Until Yesterday, among other books. A professor of geography at UCLA and noted polymath, Diamond's work has been influential in the fields of anthropology, biology, ornithology, ecology and history, among others.