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THE PATH
TO AUTHENTIC
LEADERSHIP
DANCING WITH THE OUROBOROS
MANFRED F. R. KETS DE VRIES

The Palgrave Kets de Vries Library
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries, Distinguished Professor of Leadership and
Development and Organizational Change at INSEAD, is one of the
world’s leading thinkers on leadership, coaching, and the application of
clinical psychology to individual and organizational change.
Palgrave’s professional business list operates at the interface between
academic rigor and real-world implementation. Professor Kets de Vries’s
work exemplifies that perfect combination of intellectual depth and
practical application and Palgrave is proud to bring almost a decade’s
worth of work together in the Palgrave Kets de Vries Library.
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
The Path to
Authentic Leadership
Dancing with the Ouroboros
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
Kets De Vries Et Associees
Paris, France
ISSN 2730-7581 ISSN 2730-759X (electronic)

The Palgrave Kets de Vries Library
ISBN 978-3-031-04698-8 ISBN 978-3-031-04699-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04699-5
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2023
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or
information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or
the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any
errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Contents
1 Introduction:
Dancing with the Ouroboros 1
Time, Rebirth, and the Ouroboros 1
Being Twice Born 3
Our Character Armor 5
The Red Thread 6
Spinning Our Fate 11
2 Covid
and the Seven Deadly Sins 13
Leadership Virtues Post Pandemic 19
3 Evil:
Reality and Imagination 21
The Ambiguity of Evil 23
Obedience to Authority 24
Group Dynamics 26
The Dark Psyche 28
Nurture and Nature 28
Preventing Evil 29
Mental Acrobatics 30
What Is Moral? 30
Creating a Secure Base 32
v
vi Contents
Don’t Be a Bystander 36
Societal Considerations 36
Avoiding the Darkness 38
4 The
Psychology of White-Collar Criminals 41
Introduction 41
The Fraud Triangle 44
The People Equation 46
The Greed Factor 46
Low Behavioral Self-Control 47
Narcissistic Disposition 47
Corporate Psychopathy 48
Neuro-criminology 49
Ways of Prevention 49
Corporate Culture 51
Leadership Development 51
Entry and Exit 52
Control Systems 52
The Perfect Crime 52
5 The
Dance Macabre of Shame 55
Shame and the Human Condition 56
Shame vs. Guilt 58
An Evolutionary Perspective 58
The Psychological Perspective 59
Overcoming Shame 60
A Master Emotion 66
6 Catching
the Thief of Time: The Perils of Procrastination 67
Introduction 67
The Procrastinator Test 68
Contributing Variables to Procrastination 69
Character Types 71
Behavioral Recommendations 72
Too Big a Task 73
Lack of Self-Control 73
Contents vii
Time Management 74
Recognize Busyness 74
Have Some Fun 75
What’s Happening Under the Surface? 75
Perfectionism 75
A Highly Critical Superego 77
7 The
Inner Theater of the Super-Rich 81
Introduction 81
Becoming a Billionaire 83
The Inner Theater 84
The Dark Dyad Revisited 89
Managing Wealth 91
8 To
Hell with Charisma 93
Introduction 93
The Darker Side of Charisma 95
Charisma and Transference 98
A Lack of Philosopher-Kings 99
The Importance of Civil Education 101
9 T
ransformation Challenges105
10 Creating Emotionally Intelligent Organizations115
11 M
agic and Management123
Historical Musings 124
The Allure of Pseudoscience 125
The Need to Manage Uncertainty 126
Singularity and Lack of Specificity 127
Human Gullibility 127
Astrology’s Darker Side 129
A More Empowered Way to Go Through Life 129
viii Contents
12 Kōans
as Agents of Change133
Negative Capability 133
Ambiguity in Action 134
What Had Happened? 135
Opening the Mind Through Not-Knowing 136
Preventing Early Closure and Allowing for Ambiguity 138
Wrestling with Kōans 139
Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning 143
Getting You, the Reader, More Stuck 146
Ending the Circle 149
13 C
oncluding Remarks151
The Transformative Self 151
Creative Destruction 155
I ndex159
About the Author
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries brings a different view to the much-studied

subjects of leadership and the psychological dimensions of individual and
organizational change. Bringing to bear his knowledge and experience of
economics (Econ. Drs., University of Amsterdam), management (ITP,
MBA, and DBA, Harvard Business School), and psychoanalysis
(Membership Canadian Psychoanalytic Society, Paris Psychoanalytic
Society, and the International Psychoanalytic Association), he explores
the interface between management science, psychoanalysis, developmen-
tal psychology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, psychotherapy,
executive coaching, and management consulting. His specific areas of
interest are leadership (the “bright” and “dark” sides), entrepreneurship,
career dynamics, talent management, family business, cross-cultural
management, succession planning, organizational and individual stress,
C-suite team building, executive coaching, organizational development,
transformation management, and management consulting.
As the Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development
and Organizational Change at INSEAD, he is Program Director of
INSEAD’s top management program, “The Challenge of Leadership:
Creating Reflective Leaders,” and the Founder of INSEAD’s Executive
Master Program in Change Management. He has also been the founder
of INSEAD’s Global Leadership Center. Furthermore, he has been a
world-renowned pioneer in team coaching. As an educator, he has
ix
x About the Author
received INSEAD’s distinguished MBA teacher award six times. He has

held professorships at McGill University, the École des Hautes Études
Commerciales, the European School for Management and Technology
(ESMT), and the Harvard Business School. He has lectured at manage-
ment institutions around the world. The Financial Times, Le Capital,
Wirtschaftswoche, and The Economist have rated Manfred Kets de Vries
among the world’s leading management thinkers and among the most
influential contributors to human resource management.
Kets de Vries is the author, co-author, or editor of more than 50 books,
including The Neurotic Organization; Organizational Paradoxes; Struggling
with the Demon: Perspectives on Individual and Organizational Irrationality;
Leaders, Fools and Impostors; Life and Death in the Executive Fast Lane;
Prisoners of Leadership; The Leadership Mystique; The Happiness Equation;
Are Leaders Made or Are They Born?: The Case of Alexander the Great; The
New Russian Business Elite; Leadership by Terror: Finding Shaka Zulu in the
Attic; The Leader on the Couch; The Family Business on the Couch; Sex,
Money, Happiness, and Death: The Quest for Authenticity, Reflections on
Leadership and Character; Reflections on Leadership and Career; Reflections
on Organizations; The Coaching Kaleidoscope; The Hedgehog Effect: The
Secrets of High Performance Teams; Mindful Leadership Coaching: Journeys
into the Interior; You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: Executive Coaching
Challenges; Telling Fairy Tales in the Boardroom: How to Make Sure Your
Organization Lives Happily Ever After; Riding the Leadership Roller Coaster:
A Psychological Observer’s Guide; Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership:
Leadership Pathology of Everyday Life; The CEO Whisperer: Meditations on
Leaders, Life and Change; Quo Vadis: The Existential Challenges of Leaders;
Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the Weird; Leading
Wisely: Becoming a Reflective Leader in Turbulent Times; and The Daily
Perils of Executive Life: How to Survive When Dancing on Quicksand.
Furthermore, he has designed various 360-degree feedback instruments,
including the widely used Global Executive Leadership Mirror and the
Organizational Culture Audit.
In addition, Kets de Vries has published more than 400 academic
papers as chapters in books and as articles. He has also written approxi-
mately 100 case studies, including seven that received the Best Case of
About the Author xi
the Year award. Furthermore, he has written hundreds of mini articles

(blogs) for the Harvard Business Review, INSEAD Knowledge, and
other digital outlets. He is also a regular writer for various magazines.
His work has been featured in such publications as The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Fortune, Business Week,
The Economist, the Financial Times, and the Harvard Business Review.
His books and articles have been translated into more than thirty
languages.
Furthermore, Kets de Vries is a member of seventeen editorial boards
and is a Fellow of the Academy of Management. In addition, he is on
the board of a number of charitable organizations. He is also a founding
member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of
Organizations (ISPSO), which has honored him as a lifetime member.
In addition, Kets de Vries is the first non-US recipient of the International
Leadership Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribu-
tions to leadership research and development (being considered one of
the world’s founding professionals in the development of leadership as
a field and discipline). He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from
Germany for his advancement of executive education. The American
Psychological Association has honored him with the “Harry and Miriam
Levinson Award” for his contributions to Organizational Consultation.
Furthermore, he is the recipient of the “Freud Memorial Award” for his
work to further the interface between management and psychoanalysis.
In addition, he has also received the “Vision of Excellence Award” from
the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Kets de Vries is the first beneficiary
of INSEAD’s Dominique Héau Award for “Inspiring Educational
Excellence.” He is also the recipient of three honorary doctorates. The
Dutch government has made him an Officer in the Order of
Oranje Nassau.
Kets de Vries works as a consultant on organizational design/transfor-
mation and strategic human resource management for companies world-
wide. As an educator and consultant, he has worked in more than forty
countries. In his role as a consultant, he is also the founder-chairman of
the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI), a boutique global strategic leadership
development consulting firm with associates worldwide (www.kdvi.com).
xii About the Author
Kets de Vries was the first fly fisherman in Outer Mongolia (at the
time, becoming the world record holder of the Siberian hucho taimen).
He is a member of New York’s Explorers Club. In his spare time, he can
be found in the rainforests or savannas of Central and Southern Africa,
the Siberian taiga, the Ussuri Krai, Kamchatka, the Pamir, and Altai
Mountains, Arnhemland, or within the Arctic Circle.
1
Introduction: Dancing
with the Ouroboros
It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is

resurrection.
—Voltaire
It is said of the ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life,
fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself.
—Carl Jung
Time, Rebirth, and the Ouroboros

What’s the ouroboros? And why should we be interested in this strange
image of a serpent eating its own tail in this collection of essays on authen-
tic leadership?
In answering these questions, let’s begin by adopting an etymological
perspective. The term “ouroboros” originates from the Greek oura meaning
“tail” and boros signifying “eating,” thus referring to “he who eats his tail.”
Its imagery has a very long history. In fact, the earliest record of this image
appeared in the thirteenth century bc on a golden shrine in the tomb of the
Egyptian king Tutankhamen. It was used to depict the way the ancient
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 1

M. F. R. Kets de Vries, The Path to Authentic Leadership, The Palgrave Kets de Vries
Library, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04699-5_1
2 M. F. R. Kets de Vries
Egyptians understood time. To them, time wasn’t seen as a linear process.

On the contrary, it was portrayed as a series of repetitive cycles, very much
based on the imagery of the flooding of the Nile or the journey of the sun.
Thus, the ouroboros became symbolic of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
To be more specific, the ancient Egyptians already recognized how nature
created life out of destruction. And as the ouroboros was a symbol without
a beginning or end, it also signified a break with the linear, and instead
focused on the cyclical. No wonder that the loop represented by the ouro-
boros was bound to the concept of time, the circle being symbolic of the
finite and infinite. In fact, the current mathematical symbol for infinity
may have been derived from a variant of the classic representation of the
ouroboros.
The ouroboros imagery helps us to reconsider how to look at our lives.
It presents us with an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. Or as
the well-known mythologist Joseph Campbell would say, “Life lives on
life. This is the sense of the symbol of the ouroboros, the serpent biting
its tail. Everything that lives, lives on the death of something else. Your
own body will be food for something else. Anyone who denies this, any-
one who holds back, is out of order. Death is an act of giving.”
At this stage of my life, the symbolic nature of the ouroboros has
increased in significance. Drawing on the life cycle theory as developed
by one of my former teachers, the psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, I have now
reached that later stage in life he painted by using the polarity of integrity
versus despair. To Erikson, integrity refers to our ability to look back at
our life with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment—to be satisfied
with what we have achieved. It alludes to a sense of feeling whole, of
being at peace with ourselves. Alternatively, on the other side of the coin,
we find despair, conveyed by a sense of bitterness and regret—the feeling
of having led a wasted life. This sense of despair also refers to a need to
ruminate over mistakes made, not to mention falling into the abyss of
depression. Thus, at this integrity-versus-despair stage of life, we might be
asking ourselves whether we have led a meaningful, satisfying life. We
may have doubts about the choices we’ve made. Given the way we have
lived our lives, we could well question whether we let go of other oppor-
tunities. In short, could we have made better choices?
1 Introduction: Dancing with the Ouroboros 3
In light of the human condition, having such feelings is inevitable.

Doubts about the choices we have made is all too human. And transcend-
ing these doubts will be quite a challenge. However, instead of torturing
ourselves about the choices we’ve made, wouldn’t it be much wiser to ask
ourselves whether our choices have been “good enough”? Have our
choices been satisfactory? After all, searching for perfection is an invita-
tion to misery. Isn’t it true that the wise strive to do their best, while the
foolish strive for perfection? We can only hope that at the end of our
days, we have come to accept that we did the best we could; that whatever
we did, made for a well-lived life. Only by feeling good enough—not in
a search for perfection—can we set ourselves free.
Being Twice Born

But if feeling “good enough” isn’t an option, the imagery of the ourobo-
ros can be helpful. If we don’t feel good in our skin, taking its symbolism
as a guideline, we can always try to reinvent ourselves. We can strive for a
“rebirth,” if only symbolically. In fact, at the beginning of the twentieth
century, the Harvard psychologist and philosopher William James already
made a distinction between people who were “once-born” and “twice-
born.” According to James, “once-borns” are individuals who do not stray
from the straight and narrow. They are tied to familiar territory where
they have always felt comfortable. Some of them, however, during their
life’s journey, may have become spiritually and intellectually challenged.
When faced with unexpected adversity, such as dramatic life crises, they
could become “reborn.” These “twice-borns”—people who have under-
gone an experience of fundamental, moral, and spiritual upheaval (a
near-death experience would be the most dramatic example)—may have
the courage to transcend their self-limitations. Given what they have
experienced, they may see it as necessary to make dramatic changes to
their lives.
But that’s not to say that gradual or incremental change cannot have its
advantages. Transition does not always require great drama. We do not
necessarily have to look death in the face. Sometimes, changing our ori-
entation to the world may come about when small frustrations gradually
build up, eventually becoming unbearable. And that might be the

moment that prepares some people for a major change. Even though in
these situations it may take much more time for meaningful change to
occur, it provides the comfort of getting where we want to go in a more
expectable and safe manner. And even though the process may only be an
incremental one, by taking small steps we may also be able to break our
dysfunctional habits, to build new ones that will help us to better deal
with future challenges. Unfortunately, if we choose to take this route,
there will always be the chance that we may get stuck in purgatory. It
could very well be that each small step forward will be quickly nullified
by everything else that is wrong with our lives. If that’s the case, then
incrementalism isn’t going to be the answer.
In contrast, affected by a dramatic life experience, twice-borns have
come to realize that their perspective on life is no longer good enough.
Whatever happened, it has created a feeling of imbalance. It makes them
prepared to sacrifice their present dissatisfied self for a future, more hope-
ful self. And even though they may resist making the necessary changes,
at the same time, they may also be looking forward to entering a new
version of life. It is all part of this “twice-born” process.
By undertaking such a journey, these twice-borns may be able to attain
a greater sense of authenticity, integrating the conscious and the uncon-
scious parts of their psyche. Subjecting themselves to this kind of psycho-
logical labor will contribute to a greater awareness of who they truly are.
And by acknowledging the different aspects of themselves—including
their flaws and imperfections—they may be able to reach a level of self-
actualization that otherwise they would never have reached. This is the
kind of integration that contributes to greater inner peace. In other
words, what we can observe is how twice-born people actively use diffi-
cult changes in their external life to come to peace with their inner
demons. They not only recognize their flaws but also try to use this
knowledge to build a more integrated self. It is this transformation of the
self that leads to a reaffirmation of life.
Often, twice-born people have made heroic efforts to reinvent them-
selves because they have realized that if they don’t embark on change,
they might descend into a state of living death. It is what made them
decide to escape their self-imposed mental prisons. They want to free
themselves from whatever purgatory they’re finding themselves in. In

fact, it could very well be that human beings may need to go through
purgatory to experience life to its fullest. As the German philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche said in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, “You must be ready to
burn yourself in your own flame; how could you rise anew if you have not
first become ashes?”1 Afterwards, due to these experiences, these “twice-
borns” may discover that they have been given a new lease of life. The
ability to reinvent themselves changes the way they will relate to other
people and the world at large.
Our Character Armor

Referring to the ability to reinvent ourselves, we should always keep in
mind that human beings tend to be “lazy” creatures. During our journey
through life—acquiring our various behavior patterns—we become
increasingly reluctant to change. In fact, we prefer to stick to our well-
tried-out routines. Gradually, as time has gone by, we have developed
what can be described as a character armor.2 We have become increas-
ingly more rigid in the way we are functioning. After all, compared to the
speed of our physical birth, our psychological birth will take much more
time. Developing our unique personality characteristics doesn’t happen
overnight. It tends to be a gradual, interactive process of development
influenced by parents, other family members, teachers, and various
important people who create significant life experiences. These personal-
ity characteristics will very much determine who we are; how we behave;
and how we act. And what’s more, during this “incubation” process, the
behavior patterns that we acquire will be written into the structure of our
brain. Naturally, this brain structure will undergo its most profound
development and growth at the earliest stages of our lives—a period when
we are much more malleable.
1
Friedrich Nietzsche (2000). Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library Classics). New York:
Modern Library.
2
Wilhelm Reich (1975). Character Analysis, 5th enlarged edition, New York: Farrar Publishing.
Fortunately, our character isn’t written in stone. Important as early

developmental processes may be, they’re only part of what makes us who
we are. Salient experiences that we will have during our life’s journey will
also leave their stamp. The more dramatic, the more impactful these
experiences are, the more they will affect us. Tragically, desperation often
becomes the raw material that helps us change. Thus, even though we
may be less malleable in comparison to when we were young, change is
always possible. We can always attain some kind of “second birth.” In
other words, once our brain has developed, it is still capable of substantial
change even in adult life.
As mentioned before, for the twice-borns, such a “rebirth” will be a
transition to a parallel or alternative perspective. Other “rebirths” may
take the form of a “peak experience” of only momentary significance,
possibly only temporarily evoked by the circumstances. But even such a
temporary “rebirth” could contribute to greater insight about ourselves,
making for a greater sense of individuation. We might become more our
own person, with our own beliefs and our own ideals. Of course, what’s
also implied is that we are trying to make a change to the structure of our
brains. It explains why change can be so very hard—and why the process
can take such a long time. After all, it is not easy to make changes to the
character armor that we have constructed.
The Red Thread

The reason for my interest in being once-born or twice-born is that during
my life I have had several near-death experiences that have affected me
profoundly. Obviously, apart from the physical impact caused by these
experiences, these incidents also have had a psychological impact. It led
me to question the meaning of my existence—to ask myself what makes
life worth living. And as is to be expected, while dwelling in the dungeons
of my mind, it can be a real challenge to find a way out—to create an
alternative universe. Frankly speaking, these experiences have very much
affected my life’s trajectory. On various occasions, they have motivated me
in trying to reinvent myself. This drive to reinvent myself also explains
why I am so intrigued by the symbolism represented by the ouroboros.
Taking as example only my professional identity, I have been somewhat of

a shapeshifter, pursuing various roles in life, including being an engineer,
economist, professor of management, researcher, psychoanalyst/therapist,
administrator, management consultant, executive coach, and author.
Despite these various work identities, eventually the red thread run-
ning through these various shapes has been a Weltanschauung colored by
a psychodynamic-systemic lens. As a psychoanalyst, I have been a disciple
of what Sigmund Freud describes as the “impossible profession.” In that
respect, I may also have taken on something of a shamanistic identity.
After all—notwithstanding its mystical nature—shamanism can be con-
sidered the origin of all psychotherapies. Throughout human history, it
has been the shamans who would bridge the world of the living and the
world of the spirits. Also, it has been the shamans who ensured that the
right ceremonies would be enacted in the right way to put the world to
rights. Furthermore, it has been the shamans who took on the role of
explorers of the magnificent hidden universe that lies beyond this visible
one. In that respect, it has been the shamans who served as brokers,
searching for another dimension of seeing.
Thus, as a shaman in my own right, my life-goal has always been to
help leaders to become more effective and humane—to create leaders
who want their constituencies to flourish. In other words, in my work I
have always tried to create the kinds of leaders who desire to get the best
out of their people. I am referring to leaders who possess a solid dose of
humility, authenticity, trustworthiness, empathy, and compassion—lead-
ers who can withstand the siren’s song of hubris—not the kinds of leaders
looking just out for number one. And to make this happen—taking a
“micro” level perspective—in my dealings with them I have always tried
to “simulate” the kinds of experiences that have impact. I have always
tried to create learning communities that would enable the participants
to learn from each other. And in doing so, I have always tried to trans-
form these learning communities into incubation centers for personal
change. At the same time, taking more of a “macro” perspective, I have
always seen it as my life’s task to bring the human dimension back into
the organization—to create the kinds of organizations that have a human
quality—that become the best places to work. In addition, I have also
tried to bring these ideas into the political sphere. In other words,
increasingly I have seen as part of my agenda to do everything in my

power to prevent the rise of pathological leadership. And I am not alone
in being conscious of the danger represented by these people, given the
large stage on which these people operate.
I have always asked myself why some people in leadership positions
abuse the power that comes with the job, while others don’t. What distin-
guishes the Mugabes and the Mandelas of this world? Why did a “psycho-
logically challenged” person such as Donald Trump succeed in becoming
the president of the United States? How is it imaginable that a person like
Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil would get away with what he does, given his
many very dangerous idiocracies? How is it possible that people like
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus or General Min Aung Hlaing
of Myanmar can continue to terrorize their people? And what about the
disastrous war in the Ukraine, initiated by President Vladimir Putin? In
fact, why do some leaders rise to the light while others lead their people
into darkness?3 In this context, Lord Acton’s words of “power corrupts,
and absolute power corrupts absolutely” have often been quoted.
Unquestionably, when the sirens of power beckon, many people cannot
resist its call. But do these people realize how in their strivings for self-
aggrandizement they’re making life hell for others?
I have always seen it as my mandate to help people become better than
they think they can be—a task that, as an educator, I take very seriously.
I have always sought to help people actualize their dreams about the
future—to turn these dreams into a reality—a part of this self-imposed
mandate. To enable this to happen, what’s often needed is to have these
people regain the playfulness that they once possessed, a quality that they
may have left behind during their life’s journey. And by resorting to this
long-lost playfulness, they might even be able to make the ouroboros dance.
Unfortunately, in the world we live in, the kind of leadership that gets
the best out of people is rare. There are very few leaders who encourage
their constituencies to be the best that they can be. Far from it, as I have
suggested, in too many countries, what we can observe is more of a lead-
ership meltdown. Too many of the world’s political leaders are exhibiting
3
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (2021). Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the
Weird. London: Palgrave.
behavior patterns that should be excised from the leadership equation.

Too many of these populist-demagogue leaders have created worlds of
make-believe, leading their people astray.4 All too often, in this age of
greed, paranoia, anxiety, and depression, short-term expediency prevails,
while bold, imaginative leadership is sorely missing. Twice-born thinking
is notable by its absence.
In my work with leaders, however, I have not given up hope. I sin-
cerely wish that a new generation of leaders will rise to the challenge. And
in a small way, I am prepared to do all I can to make it happen. I realize,
however, that to enable this to happen it will be necessary for the leaders
of the future to acquire a solid dose of self-knowledge. They will need to
be able to recognize their strengths and weaknesses. They will need to
understand the darker side of leadership. And as I mentioned before, to
arrive at such a degree of self-understanding will require the ability to
deal with their inner demons. It implies a willingness to accept the irra-
tionality within. After all, a sine qua non in creating more effective leaders
is to make them realize that they are not rational decision makers—that
much of their behavior is out-of-awareness—that they may have many
blind spots that require attention. And to overcome their inner demons,
they may even have to reinvent themselves. They may have to pay atten-
tion to the symbolism offered by the ouroboros.
Too many leaders aren’t familiar with the statement written above the
Temple of Apollo in ancient Delphi: “Know thyself.” And this observa-
tion is as true today as it was in those bygone times. In fact, the most
exemplary recent political leader, Nelson Mandela, once said, “You can
never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.” If we
want to develop more effective leaders, we must start with ourselves. But
as I have discovered, to paraphrase Goethe, what is often hardest to see is
what is right in front of your eyes.
Through my teaching and writing, I have always tried to help people
with new beginnings. I have always tried to create “aha” experiences for my
students that could turn into tipping points for change. I have always tried
to help people to understand what they’re all about. It explains my use of
4
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (2021). Leadership Unhinged: Essays on the Ugly, the Bad, and the
Weird. London: Palgrave.
the symbolism of the ouroboros to tie together the disparate essays in this
book. Despite the different nature of these essays, in the various chapters
that make up this book, the cycle of destruction and creation is always to
be found. Dualities, instances of opposition and contrasts, permeate each
of these essays. Keeping the ouroboros symbolism in mind, each essay also
relates to some form of transformation. In addition, what also ties these
various essays together is the fact that they were written as a response to
questions raised by my students. In a way, each essay can be looked at as
an answer to my not-knowing—and my attempts to try to know.
Starting with the first essay that deals with the seven deadly sins—a
concept introduced by the early Christian church fathers—I take another
look at these sins in the context of the pandemic. Despite the horrendous
destructiveness of Covid-19, this essay contains the hope that the pan-
demic can also become a catalyst for constructive transformative pro-
cesses. Moving on to the next essay, I illuminate how the symbolism of
the ouroboros provides us with greater insights about the horrors of evil.
There I ponder the question of what motivates people to enter this dark-
ness. And in this context, I also try in the next essay to elaborate on this
point by analyzing a special category of evil doers: white-collar criminals.
Why, for all appearances’ sake, do quite normal human beings become
transformed in such a way as to participate in criminal activities? What
makes them act in this way?
The ouroboros effect is also applicable to the two essays that follow,
which explore shame and procrastination. Again, I point out that these
behavior patterns are part of this macabre dance relating to destruction
and creation. Subsequently, in the next essay—taking more of a transfor-
mative view—I put the inner theater of the super-rich under the micro-
scope. I raise the question of what makes these people different from the
general population. What has contributed to making them the kinds of
people that they are? What led to their transformation? And what can be
said about their darker side? In the following essay, again within the con-
text of destruction and creation, I make several observations about the
nature of charisma. Although charisma can be transformative, in many
instances, charismatic leaders can also be extremely destructive.
Then, in the following two chapters, I look closely at the question of
how to transform organizations. There the focus is not only on the
conundrum of creating emotionally intelligent organizations, but also on

the forces that block these kinds of transformations. To continue this
dance between destruction and creation, one of the final essays in this
book deals with the imaginary, transformative power of magic. It points
out how magic can be used for the wrong purposes; how it can lead to
inappropriate decision-making. The last chapter in this book pertains to
the transformative power of kōans, these paradoxical riddles to be medi-
tated upon in Zen Buddhism. In this particular chapter, I try to demon-
strate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and how transcending
rationality can turn out to be quite rational. I also point out how intuitive
processes can be helpful when trying to overcome not-knowing. Finally,
in the summing up, I compare the ouroboros symbolism with the picto-
gram of the phoenix—how to rise from the ashes. Again, it is a reminder
that things cannot remain the same forever—that there will be times
when we need to break with the past. Or to quote the Italian writer
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa from his famous novel Il Gattopardo [The
Leopard], “If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to
change.”
Spinning Our Fate

As a way of recapitulating this introduction, we all recognize that the
most important parts of the natural order are birth and death. All of us
try to make the best of the life that’s been given to us. And during our
life’s trajectory, health, happiness, and success will play important parts.
Whether these desires are achieved is another matter. Although we have a
degree of control on how our life unfolds, there is also the matter of fate.
To give our life’s trajectory greater meaning, the Ancient Greeks cre-
ated deities that would determine their fate. To have real figures deter-
mining important moments in this journey would give greater clarity to
what the cycle of life would be all about. These Fates or Moirai would be
represented in the form of three very old women who would spin the
threads of our lives. They assigned individual destinies to mortals at birth,
essentially standing for birth, life, and death. They would ensure that
every mortal would live out their destiny as it was assigned to them by the
laws of the universe. And the names of these Moirai were Clotho (the
Spinner), Lachesis (the Allotter), and Atropos (the Inflexible). Clotho
spun the thread of life onto her spindle. Lachesis measured the thread of
life allotted to each person with her measuring rod. Atropos was the cut-
ter of the thread of life, choosing the manner of each person’s death.
Even though the three Fates are no longer part of our contemporary
reality, symbolically they continue to do their work. And the outcome is
very much determined by nature and nurture, as well as serendipity.
Fortunately, despite the immovable forces of destiny—not knowing what
fate has waiting for us—hope remains. That’s the gift of the ouroboros,
given its cyclical nature. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky said very astutely, “To
live without hope is to cease to live.” After all, hope will always be a
powerful force. Hope is important because it can make the present
moment less difficult to bear. Or to quote the Roman statesman Cicero,
“When there is life, there is hope.” After all, everything that is done in
this world is driven by hope. And all of us need hope—young or old,
strong or weak, rich or poor. In fact, there is no medicine like hope, no
incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as the expectation of some-
thing better tomorrow. It makes hope the anchor of our souls, dwelling
in our dreams, catching our imagination. And it is hope that gives us the
courage to turn our dreams into reality. Frankly speaking, if we believe
that tomorrow will be better, we can bear whatever hardship we experi-
ence today. It is our hopes, not our hurts, that shape our future. And the
simple act of living with hope—the daily effort to have a positive impact
in the world—makes the days left to us by the Fates more precious and
meaningful.
My hope is that through my work with people—even though it may
be wishful thinking—I will leave the world a tiny bit better than when I
got here. And that’s a desire that applies to all of us. To create a better
world for our children, all of us should entertain such thoughts. Or to
quote the French scientist Marie Curie: “You cannot hope to build a bet-
ter world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us
must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a gen-
eral responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those
to whom we think we can be most useful.”
2
Covid and the Seven Deadly Sins
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have
their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his
acts being seven ages.
—William Shakespeare
We are rarely proud when we are alone.
—Voltaire
Thinking about hope, I was recently admiring the series of prints entitled
“The Seven Deadly Sins” by the sixteenth-century Dutch artist Peter
Bruegel the Elder. Each print features a central image that represents one
of the seven sins. However, it’s worth noting that these deadly sins have a
long history that extends well before Bruegel’s time. First highlighted in
the sixth century by Pope Gregory I and later elaborated on in the thir-
teenth century by Saint Thomas Aquinas, they were discussed in treatises
and depicted in paintings and sculpture decorations on Catholic churches,
as well as in old textbooks. The standard list of vices included pride,
greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth—behavior patterns that were
thought to contribute to immoral behavior. This classification originated
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 13

M. F. R. Kets de Vries, The Path to Authentic Leadership, The Palgrave Kets de Vries
Library, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04699-5_2
with the early Christian hermits referred to as the desert fathers who
practiced asceticism in the Egyptian desert. As a matter of fact, it was the
hermit Evagrius the Solitary, one of the most influential theologians of
the late fourth-century church, who first identified the seven or eight evil
spirits that people needed to overcome.
While looking at these prints, I was also reminded of the drawings of
Sandro Botticelli, the famous Italian painter of the early Renaissance. He
very graphically illustrated the Inferno of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine
Comedy. In his writings, Dante presented these capital sins as perverse or
corrupt versions of love. For example, lust, gluttony, and greed were por-
trayed as excessive love of good things. Wrath, envy, and pride were
depicted as perverted love or harm toward others. The sole exception to
these “perversions” was sloth, the sin of letting go of responsibilities, and
by extension a deficiency of love.
Coincidentally, very soon after I had been looking at these engravings,
a friend sent me a cartoon which portrayed a man standing in his office
pointing at a blackboard that showed an organization chart that listed
these seven sins with the added comment “Welcome aboard Manfred.
Where do you see yourself in the general scheme of things?”
Where do I see myself? Certainly, I fit somewhere. After all, these crav-
ings are part of the human condition and holiness is an illusion. It is
important to note that what constitutes each of these as a sin is the indul-
gence in excess. Clearly, the notion of seven deadly sins originated from
the belief that excessive application of our passions becomes sinful or
immoral. On the other hand, could circumstantial factors contribute to
this excess? For example, has the present pandemic affected the way these
deadly sins are manifested?
Take lust as an example. Has the pandemic affected people’s desire and
subsequently sex life? Needless to say, it is hard to generalize about this
subject. Our sex life very much depends on our sexual fantasies, our part-
ner, the quality and the duration of a marriage, whether there are children
in such a relationship, and many other factors. A relatively common sce-
nario during pre-pandemic times would be a long-term couple living
parallel lives, each busy with their many commitments. However, the
pandemic-related lockdowns might have offered a much-needed break
from their mutual busyness. In fact, being stuck at home together could
2 Covid and the Seven Deadly Sins 15
have transformed into a temporary honeymoon. As the pandemic forced

many couples to slow down, it might have given them the opportunity to
take more time to reconnect and to spend more intimate moments
together. In other words, during the beginning of the lockdown, it may
have resulted in a short uptake in their sex life. All good things, however,
come to an end. For many of these couples, as time went by and due to
persistent worries, be they financial, health or otherwise, their sexual
appetite might have deteriorated. Furthermore, the ever-present dangers
of other Covid-19-specific concerns might have added to an atmosphere
of uncertainty and fear, contributing to depressive reactions—which is
contrary to the state of mind needed for lust. Additionally, spending long
uninterrupted periods of time with another person in a restrained envi-
ronment wouldn’t be exactly the kind of ambience that evoked lustful
thoughts.
What about another vice like gluttony? Since the pandemic, the waist-
line of many people seemed to have expanded. According to one study,
since the start of the pandemic, people’s weight has steadily increased by
about 1.5 pounds per month.1 If so, given the duration of the pandemic,
and based on the projections of this study, many people would have
become seriously overweight or even obese. In fact, overeating could well
be driven by an effort to compensate for the anxiety and fears due to
Covid-19. In stressful times, people often resort to unhealthy coping
mechanisms. In particular, the consumption of sweetened beverages and
other sugary snack foods appeared to have gone up. Another factor con-
tributing to weight gain might have been the consumption of greater
amounts of alcohol. And by combining these behaviors with a lack of
physical activity due to the closing of gyms and offices, weight gain might
have become inevitable. Thus, by summing up all these factors, the pan-
demic may have pushed people toward gluttony, behaviors that, in the
long run, would contribute to serious health problems such as high blood
pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
1
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/pandemic-weight-gain-not-your-imagination;
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/61-percent-of-americans-say-they-gained-weight-
during-the-pandemic
Sadly speaking, greed has been very much alive and well during these
pandemic times. While Covid-19 has taken a terrible toll on millions of
people across the globe, it has also been an opportunity for the wealthy to
further enrich themselves, with prime examples being Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder Elon Musk. Over the course of the initial
year of the pandemic, they have added tens of billions of dollars to their
already bloated fortunes with soaring stock market valuations. As the
Federal Reserve has kept interest rates at incredibly low levels, borrowing
money has become extremely easy, thereby inducing a demand for shares
on stock exchanges. And as far as specific industries are concerned, greed
has been particularly prominent within pharmaceutical companies.
While many of them have been lauded for finding a vaccine against
Covid-19, we shouldn’t forget that, after discovering an antidote, many
have sold virtually their entire stock to the richer countries. In fact, doing
so helped them to gain sky-high profit margins and share prices. At the
same time, however, these companies have tried to block attempts led by
developing countries to temporarily waive patents on their vaccines. They
seemed to have forgotten that governments not only financed much of
the basic research for the antidote but had also provided substantial
upfront funds to bring the vaccines to market. But despite these substan-
tial governmental contributions, many pharmaceutical companies would
claim that a patent waiver would hurt “incentives” for innovation. If
these companies would be able to look beyond profit—if all the vaccines
would be distributed equitably—most of the world could be vaccinated
much quicker, effectively ending the pandemic. After all, the only way to
end the pandemic is to immunize enough people worldwide. The slogan
“no one is safe until we are all safe” captured the epidemiological reality
that the world is facing—and the reality of the devastating impact of the
greed factor. Unfortunately, it seemed that too many of these pharmaceu-
tical companies have been focused primarily on earnings, and not on
global health.
Let’s move on to wrath, or, to use a more familiar term, anger. The
pandemic presented many people with unprecedented challenges.
Covid-19 created much disruption to their normal life, creating feelings
of great uncertainty regarding the future. As a reaction to these forces
beyond their control, many of them would become extremely angry
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appointing Commissioners.
When the loan was finally paid off in 1883, the returns were—
Exports £832,212
Imports 807,536
Total £1,639,748
as against £322,904, quoted in 1862. This increase was attributable,

not only to larger commerce, but also to the improved system
introduced at the customs which Mr. Hay persuaded the Sultan to
adopt. Hitherto the officials, as was common in Morocco, were a
permanent unpaid staff, who were supposed to pay themselves by
subtracting a percentage from the duties levied. Under the new
system supervisors were appointed, who received a fixed salary, and
these officials were changed every three months. This reform worked
well. It at once materially increased the revenue derived from
customs duties, and, after the loan and war indemnity were paid off
in 1883, the Custom House officers continued to be appointed and
paid on the same system.
Mr. Hay’s services were recognised by Her Majesty’s
Government, and he writes to his wife’s sister in May, 1862:—
I received a telegram a few days ago from the Minister, congratulating me on

my nomination to the K.C.B. I am pleased, as Government recognises so
handsomely my labours; and, after all the abuse of the Spanish Press, and even of
the Spanish Government, it is a public acknowledgement that I have done some
good in the cause of peace and goodwill. My ambition is now nigh satisfied, and I
am quite content if this is the last handle I get to my name.
I am rather troubled with inflamed or weak eyes. I have perhaps strained them
at night. I have given up reading almost entirely, and only write to earn my bread,
or to retain the affections of those I love.
This eye trouble had its origin, no doubt, in the attack of influenza
from which he had suffered in 1859, accompanied as it was by
overstrain and work. It was further aggravated by his hurried journey
to Meknes in the great heat of summer. For many years he
continued to suffer, and, by the advice of eminent oculists in London
and Paris, gave up all reading and writing. All his letters and
dispatches were written from his dictation. Though towards the latter
part of his life Sir John in great measure recovered the use of his
eyes, he was always unable to read much at night, and thus endured
what to him was a great deprivation.
The following extract from the Gibraltar Chronicle of July 21,
1883, concludes the history of the Moorish loan.
We are informed that a letter has been lately addressed to the Secretary of the
Stock Exchange by Messrs. Robinson and Fleming, the contractors of the Moorish
loan of 1862, notifying its final settlement last month. The text of the
communication is as follows:—‘It affords us great pleasure to hand you enclosed
the official announcement of the payment off at par, on June 26, 1883, of the total
amount of the undrawn Bonds of the Loan of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of
Morocco. We take this opportunity of stating that His Majesty has been careful to
observe the provisions of the contract upon which the loan was issued, and we
further beg to observe that Her Britannic Majesty’s Minister at Morocco, Sir J. H.
Drummond Hay, K.C.B., has most kindly rendered, voluntarily and continually, his
valuable services in all details connected with the loan.’ In further speaking of this
loan it was observed that it is one of the only loans where no hitch of any kind had
occurred, and where perfect good faith had been shown. That such has been the
case all credit should be given to the Sultan, but we may also observe that the
Moorish Government has been so carefully watched and kept up to the mark in its
payments by our energetic Minister, that they have had no opportunity of falling
into arrears. The loan was not a very big one, but the amount of detail work
caused by the smallest of loans to a country such as Morocco is much greater
than is generally imagined. From the first, however, the superintendence of it was
undertaken by Sir John Drummond Hay without any benefit or remuneration to
himself, and it has been carried through with the thoroughness which has marked
throughout his long public career every measure to which he has put his hand.
CHAPTER XVI.
SIR JOHN HAY’S HOME AT TANGIER. 1862.

The British Legation at Tangier was, until 1891, situated in the
town, within a few minutes walk of the shore. In 1862 it still
commanded a full view of the bay and of the surrounding country; for
houses before that time were built only one story high, with the
exception of the residences of the Foreign Representatives, then all
within the town walls.
Erected in 1791, when James Mario Matra was Consul, the old
Legation was designed and built by an English architect. The narrow
street, leading to it from the beach, passed the principal mosque,
which, in the reign of Charles II, when Tangier was a British
possession, was known as the English cathedral.
A short distance beyond the mosque the street passed under an
archway from which the Legation was entered by large double doors.
Inside these was the deep porch where the kavasses sat, and
adjoining was a small room where one of them slept at night as
guard and porter. The entrance led to a paved court surrounded by
the dwelling-house and the public offices. On entering the house a
great stuffed hyena, grinning round the angle of the staircase,
greeted the new comer—frequently to the dismay of a native, who
took it to be a living beast.
A balcony, or rather verandah, from which could be seen the bay
and the opposite coast of Spain, ran the whole length of the house
on the upper floor, in front of the drawing-room windows, and
overhung the little garden, a walled enclosure in which the trees and
flowering shrubs had grown to such a size that flowers could no
longer be cultivated beneath their shade, and which was therefore
only used for various pets. Here was kept the tame leopard in 1858,
and later several mouflons and gazelles; here, too, young wild boar
and porcupines had their day.
In his little book, In Spain, Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish
poet and writer of fairy tales, who was one of Sir John’s guests in
November, 1862, wrote of the old Legation:—
We were here in an old flat-roofed building with a balcony hanging over the
garden surrounded by high walls. Within all was so pleasantly and well arranged.
The stairs and corridors were adorned with skins of wild animals, collections of
Moorish pottery, spears, sabres, and other weapons, together with rich saddles
and horse-trappings, presents which Sir John had received on his visits to the
Emperor of Morocco.
In the usual sitting-room—which was adjacent to a not insignificant library—
there were, among many paintings and engravings, more than one well-known
place and portrait belonging to my Danish home. The splendid silver vase, a gift
from the Swedish King Oscar, stood in one corner, and in another a magnificent
porcelain vase, presented to Sir John by the Danish King Christian VIII. Every
window-blind was of Copenhagen manufacture, with painted views of the palaces
of Fredensborg, Frederiksberg, and Rosenberg. I might have fancied myself in a
Danish room—in Denmark—and yet I was in another quarter of the globe.
In this house there was every English convenience, even to a fireplace; and
from the balcony we looked out upon the little garden where oleander bloomed
amidst the variegated bell-flowers I had seen in the churchyard at Gibraltar. A
large palm-tree raised its lofty head in the clear moonlit air, and imparted to the
view its foreign appearance.
The sea, with its white-crested waves, was rolling near; and the lighthouse at
Tarifa glimmered upon us from the coast of Europe as we sat, a happy circle, in
the handsomely-furnished, comfortable room. Sir John told us about the country
and the people; he told us also about his journey to Morocco (Marákesh), and of
his residence in Constantinople.
The room used by Sir John as an office during the last twenty
years of his life was on the opposite side of the court to that
occupied by the dwelling-house. Outside it was a little railed balcony
whence he was wont to interview the peasants and poor petitioners
who came to see him. They would come to entreat his intercession
in cases of cruelty or extortion on the part of the Moorish officials,
and, even more frequently, his friendly arbitration was sought,
sometimes by individuals, but not seldom by rival villages or even
tribes who desired an impartial judgment on their differences. His
decision in such cases was accepted as just and final, for his keen
sympathy with the peasantry and his love for an open-air life were
among the many ties that bound him to the people he had learnt to
love and who held him in such high respect. The country-folk knew
that in him they had a kindly friend, always ready in bad times to lend
them small sums of money, to be repaid when the harvest was
gathered—and rarely did they fail to refund such loans.
Residence in the town in summer-time, though not so unhealthy
then as now, was very trying for delicate persons and young
children. Consequently, for many years, Sir John sent his wife and
little girls to England to spend there the summer months: his son
being then a schoolboy at Eton. When the girls were older, and
better able to withstand the climate, several summers were spent at
a villa which had formerly belonged to Mr. Carstensen, Lady Hay’s
father, by whom the surrounding grounds had been beautifully laid
out. But in 1848, when Sir John bought the villa, the garden had
fallen into a neglected state. It had never recovered from the ravages
committed in 1844, when the French bombardment destroyed the
greenhouses and the tribes completed the work of destruction by
despoiling and wrecking both house and garden. Still, it was a lovely
spot. The house was originally a small Moorish building consisting of
a vine-covered courtyard surrounded on three sides by long, low
rooms. To these Mr. Carstensen added several bedrooms and a
large studio. Near the villa stood, and still stands, a tower,
constructed, it is said, by Basha Hamed, the original owner of the
garden, and one of the warrior saints who fought against the English
and is buried on the hill of the ‘Mujáhidin.’
This garden Sir John had named ‘The Wilderness,’ for such it was
when he bought it. But to the Moors it was known as ‘Senya el
Hashti,’ or Spring of Hashti, from the water, which, rising in the
garden, is conducted through it by an ancient aqueduct. Charming
though this garden was, the irrigation necessary in the dry season
for the groves of orange and lemon trees rendered it unhealthy as a
summer residence. Sir John therefore decided on building himself a
house on Jebel Kebír, known to-day to residents as the ‘Hill.’ For this
purpose he bought a piece of ground from a former American
Consul, to which however he later added largely. The site of the
house was pitched upon by a lucky chance. Sir John was hunting on
the ‘Hill’ with the gun, and an old boar being brought to bay in a cave
under an overhanging rock, he crawled into the thicket and
dispatched the beast where it stood fighting the dogs, and afterwards
clambered round to the top of the cliff which overhung the cave.
Much struck with the position and the view this spot commanded,
extending from Trafalgar to Gibraltar and along the African coast to
Jebel Musa, he determined, if possible, to establish his summer
residence there. There, in 1861, he built ‘Ravensrock,’ naming it
from a rock standing above the house which is known to the country
people as ‘Hajara el Ghaghab,’ or, ‘rock of ravens,’ because these
birds assemble there at certain seasons before flying to their
roosting-place in the trees below the house.
The plan of spending the hot season only three miles from
Tangier, but at a height of 500 feet above the sea, and with a
northern exposure, answered so well that for some years Sir John
and his family only left Tangier every second or third year to go home
on leave or to travel on the Continent. Here came many an invalid
from Gibraltar to endeavour to shake off the obstinate Rock fever.
Here also gathered the friends who joined in hunting or shooting
expeditions, which, in the hot season, were undertaken at a very
early hour, so that the sportsmen might rest throughout the heat of
the day in some shady spot and resume their sport in the cool of the
evening before riding home late at night. Sometimes, perhaps, they
would sit out by night in the grounds, or in the adjoining woods by
the melon-patch of a villager, to watch for boar in hopes of shooting
one, and thus saving him from an ignominious death in a trap or
noose set by the peasants to protect their crops from the greedy
ravages of the pig.
When, in winter, the family returned to reside in the Legation,
Ravensrock was left unguarded (until quite recently, when it became
necessary to leave a man in charge); and for many years, for the
convenience of visitors a French window was left on the latch to
ensure easy entry, and not a single article, valuable or otherwise,
was ever missed.
A review of Hans Christian Andersen’s book, In Spain, published
in the Spectator of February 26, 1864, says:—
Among the prettiest sketches of the book is the description of the author’s trip
from Gibraltar to the African coast, whither he went by invitation from Sir John
Drummond Hay.
The family of Sir John, consisting of his wife (a daughter of the late Danish
Consul-General in Morocco, Monsieur Carstensen) and two daughters, were living
in an Oriental villa close to the sea, which existence seemed to the poet like one of
the wonders of the Thousand and One Nights’ tales. The English comfort and
luxury within the house; the tropical vegetation in the garden and terraces; the
howling of the jackals, with an occasional real lion within a stone’s throw of all this
European art and elegance, strongly impressed the traveller from the North. ‘I lived
as in a dream,’ he exclaims, ‘through golden days and nights never to be forgotten,
adding a new and rich leaf to the wonderful legend of my life!’
The poet, after his departure, wrote from Seville a letter to Lady
Hay of which the translation follows. It is very characteristic of the
gentle unaffected being who brought pleasure to so many homes
and accepted his small share of the good things of life with such
modesty and gratitude.
How shall I express all my thanks for the great hospitality and kindness you and
your husband showed to me and Collin? The eight days in your home is still for us
the flower of our whole journey. We were so happy! We felt that we were welcome,
and all around us was so new, so strange. Yes, I am conscious that if I live to
return to Denmark, I shall take with me a fresh and many-coloured poetical
blossom which I shall owe to you.
The steamer brought us to Cadiz in the early morning. Still, in the night I had a
slight alarm, for in the Straits we grounded on a sand-bank, but we soon were
clear and the weather was favourable.
Cadiz was for me a most uninteresting town. It is clean, as if in its Sunday best,
but has no characteristic features. Seville, on the contrary, is full of life, like
Rossini’s music. And what treasures are to be seen here—the Alcasar, the
cathedral with its glorious Murillos! But it is cold here like a chilly October day at
home. I am dressed in quite winter clothing, and in the streets the men wear their
cloaks thrown round them so as to cover their mouths.
I dread the journey to Madrid. To travel twenty-one hours at this time of the year
will not be pleasant. Very happy should I be if I could hear at the Danish Minister’s
at Madrid how everything is passing in my African home. Yes! you and your
husband must allow me to call your happy dwelling by that name. Give my thanks
and greeting to your husband and bairns; also to Mr. Green. I regret that I did not
manage to take leave of him when I left.
I hope we may meet again next summer in Denmark.
In Denmark I will plant the melon seeds I got from African soil, and I hope they
will thrive, blossom, and bear fruit.
God give you and yours blessings and happiness.
Your grateful and devoted
H. C. Andersen.
It has been said that the native peasantry resorted to the British
Legation for sympathy, and assistance in time of need, from the man
they looked on as a kindly friend. In Sir John the victims of injustice,
greed, and oppression found a ready advocate and powerful
defender. The favour which he was known to enjoy with the Sultan
added weight to his remonstrances with petty tyrants, and with
officials who, even if not themselves guilty, readily connived at
tyranny or oppression. The authorities dreaded lest they should be
reported at Court for acts of misgovernment—reported, as they well
knew, from a desire for justice and not from personal motives—and
this wholesome fear drove many a venal Moorish official along the
straight path. Thus it was that Sir John obtained so great an
influence in Morocco.
The following story illustrates the way in which an act of kindness
done by Sir John was remembered and bore fruit after many years. It
was told by a Moorish soldier who accompanied an intrepid English
traveller into the interior. This attendant had been recommended by
Sir John, and on his return to Tangier came at once to report himself
and give some account of the journey. He related that having arrived
at a certain stage of the journey they were detained. The tribesmen
who occupied the district through which it was necessary to pass,
refused to recognise the authority of the Sultan, whose troops they
had lately defeated. Declaring their belief that the Christian traveller
was a French engineer come to spy out their land, they said they
would have none of him. The officer of the escort sent by the Sultan
dared not proceed, and there was thus every prospect that this, the
first, attempt on the part of a European to penetrate into this part of
Morocco, would have to be abandoned.
At this juncture there appeared on the scene the Sheikh of the
tribe occupying the district adjacent to that of the rebels.
In the words of the narrator of the story:—‘This Sheikh rode up to
the tents and inquired of me whether the Christian was a
Frenchman, or whether there was any truth in the report, which had
just reached him, that the traveller was the son of the English
“Bashador.” I told him that he was not the son, but a friend, of the
Bashador, who wished to pass through that part of the country, and
to whom the Bashador had given letters recommending him to the
good offices of the Uzir, in consequence of which an escort had been
sent by the Government to take him as far as possible in the
direction he desired to go, and that now the officer of the escort
dared proceed no further.
‘“Where are you from?” queried the Sheikh.
‘“From Tangier.”
‘“Do you know the Bashador?”
‘“For years I was his servant.”
‘“Is the Bashador he that lived at Senya el Hashti?”
‘“The same.”
‘“Is he well? And his son and household, are they well?”
‘“He is well, they are all well.”
‘“Do you know the hunters of Suanni and their Sheikh Hadj
Hamed and Hadj Ali and Alarbi and Abd-el-Kerim?”
‘“I know them all. Abd-el-Kerim—God’s peace be with him—was
my father.”
‘“And the Bashador, you say, is well and his son and his
household. Alhamdulillah! He it was who procured my release when I
was imprisoned at Tangier. I have worked in his garden, at Senya el
Hashti: I have eaten and drank in his house. His friend is my friend.
On my head be it to carry out the Bashador’s wishes. This Nazarene,
you say, is a friend of the Bashador who wishes him to be helped on
his journey. It is well. I will see him safely through. On my head be it.
This tribe will assuredly not grant free passage to the Christian, nor
to the Sultan’s escort, but I will arrange that, ‘enshallah,’ the
Bashador’s wishes be carried out. Even now will I dispatch a speedy
messenger to my brother, telling him what is required. By sunset the
escort my brother will send should be here, and after resting till the
prayer of the ‘Asha’ is called (about nine p.m.), we will start,
‘enshallah.’ See to it that the Nazarene be then ready to go with us.
Through the night will we ride and shortly after sunrise we shall, with
God’s help, be out of the district inhabited by this rebellious tribe.
The country immediately beyond is now infested by bands of
robbers, and the Sultan’s authorities have fled, but before sundown,
‘enshallah,’ I will hand you all over in safety to the Governor of the
next district.”
‘The Sheikh’s men arrived about sunset, some hundred men,
mostly mounted and all well armed. Shortly after the hour of the
‘Asha’ prayer we started, our party riding in the centre of this escort.
As we travelled we found other parties of the Sheikh’s men waiting
for us at intervals; these, as we met them, joining and continuing with
us until—as daylight showed—the escort amounted to some three
hundred armed men.
‘In the morning, shortly after crossing a river which formed the
boundary of the hostile tribe, we rested for one hour. Then the
Sheikh ordered most of his men to return home; he himself, with
some twenty-five followers, escorting us to the dwelling of the
Governor of the next province, where we arrived before sundown.’
On the other hand Sir John occasionally made such bitter
enemies amongst the ill-disposed and the criminal classes that his
life was endangered. One of the most notable of these was a native
of the village of Zinats between Tangier and Tetuan, a man named
Aisa (Anglicé Jesus).
A brother of Aisa’s had been ill and applied for medical relief to a
doctor, an Austrian Jew, resident at Tetuan. The doctor did all in his
power to relieve the man, but without avail, and the patient died. Aisa
chose to consider that his brother had been poisoned, and, vowing
vengeance against the doctor and all Jews, soon after murdered an
inoffensive Israelite pedlar, travelling between Tetuan and Tangier.
Sir John insisted that the authorities should seize and punish the
criminal; but this was extremely difficult to accomplish, as he hid
amongst the rocky slopes of the hills near Zinats, and thence
continued to threaten the Jews, who, in terror of their lives, dared not
travel from Tangier to Tetuan, except under safe convoy. He also
sent a written message to the effect that, in revenge for these
persistent efforts to have him arrested, he intended taking Sir John’s
life and—failing other opportunity—would force his way into the
latter’s house and kill him there.
To these threats Sir John paid no attention. He rode about as
usual, unattended and unarmed, and even shot partridge over the
district of Zinats, the murderer’s haunt, while still urging the
authorities in his pursuit. The villagers in that part of the country
seem to have shared somewhat in Aisa’s view of the cause of his
brother’s death. They sheltered, fed, and hid him. It was only when a
fine was levied on the district, when some of the Sheikhs were
imprisoned as hostages, and when a whole village which was
supposed to have sheltered the murderer had been burnt to the
ground, that they deserted the criminal. He was finally traced to a
cave where he had taken refuge. The soldiers tried to smoke him out
of his lair; but he fired on them and then, seeing escape to be
hopeless, shot himself.
SENYA EL HASHTI
CHAPTER XVII.
THIRD MISSION TO MARÁKESH.
In 1863 Sir John went to the Court at the city of Marákesh on a

special mission from Her Majesty’s Government, with the object of
obtaining certain concessions and privileges. In this mission he was
in great part successful, though many of the promises made to him
to introduce improvements and reforms never passed beyond words.
The following year, 1864, saw Sir John again in attendance at the
Court, which was then at Rabát. From that city he writes to his
mother on October 16:—
I arrived here on the 28th ult., having passed a week on the road, and had
good sport with small game.
The Sultan did not enter Rabát till the 13th inst., having been detained en route
in ‘eating up’ some rebel tribes, some of the latter causing him several days of
uneasy digestion.
The night before His Majesty’s entry into Rabát, the Uzir tells me, the Sultan
woke up about 11 o’clock and summoned him. It was to ask whether the Uzir
thought I would like to see His Majesty enter, and if so to bid him write off and
invite me to witness the scene from a good position, where a guard of honour
would be stationed to protect us from the wild hordes, or, if I so pleased, to meet
and have an audience of His Majesty in the midst of his troops before he entered.
As a true courtier, I chose the latter course, and, having put on our armour, we
sallied out at 9 a.m. to meet the Sultan.
As usual on such festive occasions, it poured buckets. I was well covered, but
not so were the members of my mission, who looked in their uniforms and feathers
like drowned cocks.
Adjoining the outer walls of Rabát, which are about a mile from the town, there
is a beautiful plain of red sand, with small undulating hills here and there, and
covered with palmettos, shrubs, and wild flowers. The vanguard of the army, which
latter consisted of about 30,000 men, was already in sight, and picturesque groups
of the irregular cavalry had stationed themselves on these heights, as, I suppose,
pickets acting as a sort of police to the wild hordes that followed.
The rain ceased, and the sun broke out as the Royal cortège appeared. The
disciplined troops, a body of about 6,000 infantry, dressed in scarlet jackets and
blue trousers, marched in parallel columns, leaving a space of about a quarter of a
mile between each column. The disciplined cavalry, some 500 strong, riding in
front and rear and on the flanks to keep order. Within the lines came the tribes,
each forming a separate body and marching with some sort of regularity, banners
flying and pipes squealing, as if they had been Highlanders.
Then followed some mules and camels with field guns and ammunition, and,
after these, bodies of the Sultan’s Bokhári, or Royal guard. Troops of forty or fifty
of these every now and then wheeling back and charging towards the group that
surrounded the Sultan, fired their guns in the air.
His Majesty was preceded by a body of running footmen; then came the Chief
Usher, followed by two men on foot bearing long lances—the last and sole signs of
ancient Moorish chivalry; then the Sultan himself, mounted on a beautiful grey
horse, a monster for a Barb, being not less than seventeen hands high. Behind His
Majesty were the umbrella-bearer and the sword-bearer, followed at a little
distance by the Ministers of State, mounted on mules, and by a palanquin covered
with scarlet cloth borne between two mules. It was all closed, so there may have
been some houri within.
As the Sultan drew near, the troops of Rabát, with the Governor at their head,
approached, forming a most brilliant line, in dresses of all the colours of the
rainbow adorned with gold and silver. His Majesty wheeled his horse, broke
through the lines of infantry, and rode towards the newcomers. Down went the
Mussulmen with their heads in the dust, the Governor playing fugleman, and then
raised themselves, crying, ‘Long live our Lord and Master!’
The Sultan raised his hands towards heaven, and called a blessing on his
townspeople of Rabát.
We stood a little to the right of the Rabátin: His Majesty, instead of awaiting our
approach, and to the astonishment of all fanatics, turned right back and rode
towards us. We advanced until I was close to His Majesty, my suite a little behind,
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs by my side. Down went his Excellency in the
dust, and I took off my hat and made a bow. The Sultan, who is the ne plus ultra of
stammerers, tried to make a gracious speech, but stuck at the word ‘Mahabábek’
(welcome). I took pity and made him a short speech, which he received with a
smile such as the Rabátin declare he never bestowed on them.
This ceremony being over, His Majesty again took up his position in the
procession, and the march was resumed.
I should mention that several bands of the disciplined troops were playing
European marches; some, really well.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs then suggested that we should keep away from
the crowd; but His Majesty dispatched another of his Ministers to invite me to enter
his cortège—and to give a wigging to our chaperon, the Foreign Minister, for not
having asked me what I should prefer to do. The scene was so interesting, and
indeed the most picturesque and strange I had ever witnessed, that I gladly
accepted the offer, and we rode in the cortège to the palace. As the Sultan entered
the palace doors, we could hear the ‘lu, lu, lu’ (the hallelujahs) of the women. I had
a short interview with the Uzir, and then took my leave.
The Mohammedans are much surprised at the Sultan’s gracious reception of
me in the midst of his wild troops. I believe it was a political move as well as an act
of courtesy, and that, in entering Rabát with his hordes, where several of the
Foreign Representatives are expected, he desired to set them an example of how
to treat the Nazarenes. It has had its effect, for we have not even overheard the
word ‘kaffer’ (infidel) muttered. Strict orders have been given, and due punishment
threatened, I hear, for any offence towards a Christian.
The Uzir has returned my visit of ceremony, and now my work begins. As I told
the Uzir, I come to see them as a friendly doctor, to offer advice for health and
happiness, but that like most medicines, mine are bitter and unpalatable. We shall
see what I shall be enabled to do.
This country is in such a rotten state that though the Sultan be a clever and
good man, anxious for reform, he has not the courage nor the men about him to
carry it into execution. To give you an idea of his intelligence, an English engineer,
Fairlie yclept, who is in His Sultanic Majesty’s service, tells me he lately erected a
steam-engine in Marákesh. The Sultan watched him at work, and after one lesson
told Fairlie to have fires lit and direct everybody to go away. Fairlie could not
imagine what was going to happen, for he saw carpets and cushions and paniers
of food pouring into the building where the engine-room was. The next morning he
learnt that His Majesty had invited all the royal ladies to a picnic, set the engine
working, and had some fun with his harem, terrifying them by turning off steam,
&c. Fairlie says the man is naturally an engineer—he is certainly as black as any
stoker.
We expect the French and Spanish Ministers, frigates, &c., so Rabát will, I fear
be for a time a focus of intrigues.
You will say ‘jam satis’ of Morocco!
The practice of ‘eating up’ mentioned in this letter has always

been a favourite method with the Sultans of Morocco when desirous
of quelling discontent or rebellion amongst the unruly tribes of the
interior. If these in any part of the Moorish dominions, driven frantic
by the cruelty and extortion of their rulers, show signs of revolt, an
army is sent, like a plague of locusts, who literally eat up the
disaffected country. In the case of the larger districts, such as Sus,
these military expeditions are often commanded by the Sultan in
person. Crops are devoured or destroyed, heavy fines levied, and
sometimes villages sacked and burnt. When all the provisions in the
district are consumed, the army moves off, leaving behind starvation
and desolation, and a people often too broken-spirited to think again,
for many years to come, of revolt. Sometimes, however, amongst the
martial tribes in the interior, who enjoy the protection afforded them
by living in a mountainous district, the Sultan finds the task of
quelling a rebellion a difficult one, and eventually retires with his
army, having only succeeded in fomenting the discontent of his
subjects against his rule.
In 1868 the question of the exchange of Gibraltar for Ceuta was
raised, and a letter to the Times from Admiral Grey, a former Senior
Naval Officer at Gibraltar, caused much discussion of the subject by
the press: the general feeling in England being against such an
exchange.
Writing to Sir Henry Layard in 1871, Sir John gives his opinion
upon the question at issue:—
I think it is the interest, and ought to be the policy, of Great Britain to maintain
friendly relations with Spain. I am even one of those unwise men, who would like
to see Gibraltar restored to Spain, and thus extract a thorn which festers in the
heart of every proud Spaniard—a sentiment I do not blame.
I am told by important military and even naval men, that Gibraltar would be
worthless in war time as a port of refuge. In the present state of gunnery, nothing
could live there, either on land or water, unless under a bomb-proof roof, so we
should be compelled to have an iron fleet to protect 6,000 men, cooped up. Cui
bono!! If we could find a quid pro quo suitable as a coaling station in time of peace
in these waters, I say the sooner we make terms with Spain the better.
Sir John always declared that, from a military point of view, he
was no judge of the question; but as a diplomatist he strongly
advocated the exchange of Gibraltar for Ceuta. Our possession of
the Rock being most bitterly distasteful to our national ally Spain, he
maintained that by occupying Ceuta in its stead we should conciliate
the Spanish nation. He was of opinion that so long as Gibraltar
should remain in our hands, no friendly footing could be established
between the two countries. Spain, though unable alone to take the
fortress from us, would certainly ally herself with our enemies in case
of a European war in order to recover this stronghold.
The Moors, on the other hand, would welcome the presence of
Great Britain on their coasts, not only as a safeguard to their national
independence, but as a guarantee against the encroachments of
their hereditary enemies the Spaniards, whose desire to increase
their possessions at the cost of Morocco is a constant terror to the
Moors.
The objections which might be raised by other Foreign Powers to
such an exchange could be met by Great Britain undertaking not to
attempt to increase her territory in Morocco beyond what would be
acquired from Spain, and further to maintain the integrity of Morocco
as an independent and strictly neutral State.
Great Britain, once established in a stronghold on the shores of
Morocco, and relieved from the jealousy and ill-feeling of Spain,
would be able to insist on the reforms so necessary in Morocco, and
could bring pressure to bear on the Moorish Government to open up
trade, and to permit the exploitation of the immense mineral wealth
of the country. Coal, as is well known, is to be found on the Straits
Coast, though foreign jealousy, as much as the retrogressive policy
of the Moorish Government, has hitherto impeded the working of that
and other minerals.
As a coal store for the Royal and mercantile marine, as a
dockyard for the refitting of vessels, as a free port for the storage of
merchandise, Ceuta would offer the same advantages as Gibraltar in
time of peace. As a dépôt for trade with Barbary, it would obviously
possess many advantages over the Rock. Nor was this last
argument to be despised, when the immense resources of Morocco
as a grain-producing country are considered. Her granary is capable
of supplying Great Britain with wheat, which could be exported by
sea more quickly and cheaply than from elsewhere, and would in a
measure relieve the United Kingdom from the risk that, in time of
European war, some of the important grain marts of the world may
be closed to her.
In case of war, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to victual
Gibraltar, as Spain would undoubtedly stop all supplies from entering
the fortress from the mainland. No such contingency, on the other
hand, could threaten our hold on Ceuta, where plentiful supplies
would be available from the mainland both for the use of the garrison
and for provisioning the fleet. At Ceuta British ships would find a
harbour of refuge in a friendly and neutral country, without being
exposed, as they might well be at Gibraltar, to the guns of the enemy
on the Spanish coast, and could pass the Straits in safety without
approaching within range of a Spanish fortress.
That there would be many and great difficulties in the way of such
an exchange was foreseen by Sir John. Not the least of these is the
immense expenditure on the fortification of the Rock. This, however,
he thought might be met by Spain undertaking to make the
necessary alterations and repairs at Ceuta, and, pending the
completion of these works, agreeing to allow Great Britain the use of
Gibraltar for her ships as heretofore in time of peace or war.
The harbour of Ceuta, in its present state, does not offer the same
advantages as that of Gibraltar; but Sir John believed that it was
capable of such improvements as would render it thoroughly
efficient. Though great expense would be incurred by Great Britain,
he thought that the stability which such an exchange would give to
the maintenance of the peace of Europe was deserving of
consideration.
Finally, it may be remembered that Lord Nelson used to say our
naval success in the South of Europe would depend on the
friendship of Morocco, or on our obtaining possession of Tangier. He
foresaw that any great Power established on a sure footing on the
North African coast would practically command the passage of the
Straits for seventy miles.
Such were some of the reasons which weighed most strongly with
Sir John. His long residence in Morocco, and his genuine interest in
its prosperity, led him to advocate the exchange, not merely for the
advantage of Great Britain, but also for the benefit of the Moors. He
saw in the occupation of Ceuta a means of promoting the welfare of
the Sultan’s subjects, and a powerful instrument for pressing upon
the Government the reforms for which he so constantly pleaded. In
1865 Sultan Sid Mohammed had introduced certain changes; but
these attempts at improvement were too timid to produce any real
result.
Three years later (1868), Sir John visited the Sultan’s Court at
Fas, and he took every opportunity, afforded by frequent private
audiences, of again urging upon his Majesty the necessity of
sweeping changes in the judicial, financial, and administrative
system of the country.
In a letter written to Sir Henry Layard he speaks of the outspoken
advice which he was in the habit of offering to the Sultan, and
attributes to his frankness the influence which he enjoyed at the
Moorish Court.
This Government is the most miserable in the world, and with the exception of
the Sultan himself, who is an honest man without energy, Aji, and one or two
others, they are a corrupt and venal set. As long, however, as I am accredited to
such a Government, I have thought it my duty to keep on the best terms with all. . .
.
Not only my Spanish colleagues, but I may say all in their turn, attribute the
good favour in which I am held by the Sultan and his myrmidons to my giving
secret counsels in opposition to the demands of Representatives of other Foreign
Governments, and thus currying favour. They cannot and will not understand that I
have managed to maintain a certain ascendency over the mind of the Sultan, in
questions with other Foreign Powers, from the very fact of my never having
hesitated in speaking my mind and recommending the most unpalatable

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SIR JOHN HAY’S HOME AT TANGIER. 1862.

THIRD MISSION TO MARÁKESH.

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