English: The profile of political leaders. London: Paulgrave Mcmillan, early 2016.

   Dutch version: 'Het profiel van de leider - De oerkenmerken van invloed en overwicht'. Published June 2015 by Business Contact, Amsterdam.

   Abstract: Over the last 10-15 years, since around 2000, research has thrown an entirely different light on the selection and election of our highest leaders. Such findings come from a wide range of scientific disciplines, ranging from biology and neurology to politics and history.

   Evolutionary psychology and related new approaches have shown time and again that we unconsciously continue to favour the ‘ancestral prototypes’ of the Stone Age. For instance with regard to height, body symmetry, face form, eye blinking, voice pitch and so on. Even their 'astrological sign' meaning birth season meaning 'relative age' (with regard to early or delayed school entry). Of course names, personality and style do also play a role.

   The book cites some hundred sophisticated statistical analyses concerning American presidents and European prime ministers, CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies and others, with sobering results. Those later defined as ‘great leaders’ also happened to be in the exact right place at the exact right time - often by mere coincidence.

   Each of the chapters has a related lively illustrative vignette/ case study on a noteworthy present-day top politician (American presidents Obama and Reagan, French presidents Sarkozy and De Gaulle, mayors of New York (Michael Bloomberg) and London (Boris Johnson), a Danish prime minister (Helle Thorning Schmidt) and an almost Dutch prime minister - an extremely unconventional revolt leader who was assassinated on the eve of the elections (Pim Fortuyn).

   Video of preview presentation for journalists and booksellers, at the publisher's: https://www.youtube.com/

   One hour Dutch Radio 1 interview about the book by Petra Possel:

http://www.radio1.nl/popup/terugluisteren-programma/13/2015-06-11