Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Make a Difference?

We often read history as the biographies of ‘great men’ who shaped the world. But are leaders, whichever field they are in, really that influential? Should CEOs be given large bonuses when a company performs well? Why, when a political leader is assassinated, is their successor as likely to improve as damage a country? When do we know if firing a coach has changed the fortunes of the team?

World renowned historian and bestselling author Jared Diamond argues that leaders are neither heroic exceptions nor products of circumstance. Looking at four difference history, business, sport and religion, Diamond asks under which conditions is a leader most likely to make a difference and why.

Drawing on the life and career of iconic leaders – from Botswana president Seretse Khama to legendary UCLA football coach John Wooden – Diamond shows us how leadership 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.

Jared Diamond 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026