Peter G. Northouse is a professor emeritus of communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University. For more than 25 years he taught leadership and interpersonal and organizational communication at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to publications in professional journals he is the author of Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th ed.) and Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice (5th ed.) and co-author of Health Communication: Strategies for Health Professionals (3rd ed.). His scholarly and curricular interests include models of leadership, leadership assessment, ethical leadership, and leadership and group dynamics. He has worked as a consultant in a variety of areas, including leadership development, leadership education, conflict management, and health communication. He holds a doctorate in speech communication from the University of Denver and master's and bachelor's degrees in communication education from Michigan State University.

• A consistent chapter structure that outlines each approach and the major studies behind them, presents strengths and criticisms for each approach, and provides case studies and a self-assessment questionnaire at the end of each chapter, allowing students to easily compare and contrast the various theories.
• Three case studies in each chapter help students to apply leadership concepts in real-world scenarios.
• Self-assessments within each chapter provides self-assessment and reflection opportunities for each theory presented.