In Good Hands? Leadership Conversations About Our Times
Editor: Dr. Eric Perez
Publisher: Pharos Institute (2026)
Are We Truly Equipped to Lead Through Sustained Turmoil?
We are functioning in an era of profound and persistent turbulence. Today’s leaders are forced to make high-stakes decisions in an environment widely characterised as "post-normal", non-linear, and ambiguous. Yet, much of the prevailing leadership theory remains disconnected from this reality, offering rigid frameworks that fail to meet the complexity and moral demands of contemporary leadership.
"In Good Hands? Leadership Conversations About Our Times" meets this exact moment.
This book is not a collection of easy answers; it is a collaborative guide to asking better questions. Bringing together a powerful mix of academic scholars and seasoned practitioners, it presents leadership as it is actually lived, experienced, and tested on the front lines.
Inside the Book
Spanning 13 insightful chapters, this book explores the vital cognitive and strategic capabilities future-fit leaders must cultivate:
• Advanced Metacognition: Moving past outdated command-and-control managerialism to
embrace systems awareness, ethical anticipation, and cognitive diversity.
• Strategic Leadership & Foresight: Balancing immediate organisational demands with sustainable
competitive advantages.
• Authentic Communication: Harnessing clarity, empathy, and transparency as strategic drivers of
employee engagement and trust.
• Real-World Leadership in Practice: Lived leadership experiences and critical reflections from
corporate governance, public service, criminal law, and emergency frontline policing.
• Navigating Cognitive Threats: Identifying and rejecting toxic personality traits (The Dark Triad) and
overcoming "metacognitive laziness" in the accelerating age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
What the Experts Say
"A clear message runs throughout: leadership today is defined less by position and more by mindset, judgement and the ability to navigate competing demands with clarity and integrity... This book is both a guide and a challenge. That is its value."
— Brett Pointing, Chief Commissioner, Queensland Police Service
For experienced leaders looking to recalibrate, or emerging leaders seeking clarity on what matters most—this book is your roadmap for the future.
Citation:
van der Laan, L., Azmy, W., Eric, P., Omilion-Hodges, PhD, L., McCallum, A., Fletcher, D., Ginyard, R., Bennett, K., Dore, N., Doyle, S., & Greeves, O. (2026). IN GOOD HANDS? LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR TIMES. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20193254
For professional development inquiries or further information, contact us at: info@pharosinstitute.com.
