Part of the series Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture, Urick examines management theories related to mentorship and learning, transformational and transactional leadership, ethical decision making, bases of power, mindfulness, multi-tasking, and more. As you learn to apply these theories, you can become at one with the Force to find balance in your leadership style.


Each theory is viewed through the lens of various aspects of the Jedi approach to exerting influence. Through these examples, readers will become familiar and comfortable with academically supported leadership concepts to adjust their own behaviors, becoming more successful in the process. By examining leadership theories through the context of popular culture, the book encourages readers to think creatively about how they might adjust their own management approach. Readers will move from Padawan to Master quickly. May the Force be with you, Jedi Manager!



The series aims to bring examples, theory and methodology of leadership to life by analysing academic concepts through popular culture examples that will appeal to a broad range of readers.

Part of the series Exploring Effective Leadership Practices through Popular Culture, Urick examines mentorship and learning, transformational and servant leadership, culture, bases of power, leader emergence, teams, motivation, and more.

Leadership in Middle-Earth explores J.R.R. Tolkien's exemplary leadership and management examples evident in his tales such as 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings', examining mentorship, team dynamics, mindfulness, servant leadership, influence and ethical leadership through solid academic theories and management practices. Readers will become familiar and comfortable with academically supported leadership concepts to adjust their own behaviors, becoming more successful in the process.



By examining leadership theories through the context of popular culture, the book encourages readers to think creatively about how they might adjust their own management approach. The series aims to bring examples, theory and methodology of leadership to life by analysing academic concepts through popular culture examples that will appeal to a broad range of readers.

Exploring the extensive world of HBO’s Game of Thrones series to illustrate leadership theories supported by scholarly research, Bend the Knee or Seize the Throne analyzes characters and scenarios from the series to demonstrate and deconstruct different examples of leadership and leader behavior.

The expansive fantasy world created by George R. R. Martin provides the perfect backdrop for diverse discussions around various types of leadership, from authoritarian and servant to transactional and charismatic, and different forms of power and influence. How is power used and abused? What are the effects of abuse of power? An examination of ethics and motivation, along with concepts of justice and cultural awareness, feed into a comprehensive dive into manifestations of leadership throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

Informing readers from students and aspiring leaders through to experienced leaders, managers, consultants, and educators, this fun and accessible exploration of leadership theories appeals to both practitioners and fans of Game of Thrones. Nathan Tong and Michael J. Urick bridge the gap between academic theories of leadership and familiar characters and situations from a pop-culture phenomenon.