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The Bullfighter: Leading Through Conflict, Resistance, and the Seven Bulls of Leadership
Paperback
Publisher Price: $24.99
Publisher: Arena Leadership Press
Published: Nov 3 2026
Pages: 382
Weight: 1.12
Height: 0.85 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Leadership is easy when people agree with you. The real test begins when they do not.
The Bullfighter is a practical leadership journey into the moments when fear, anger, politics, burnout, success, failure, and trust begin shaping the behavior of people and organizations. These forces-the Seven Bulls of Leadership-can challenge judgment, strain relationships, test integrity, and expose the difference between holding a position and actually leading.
Drawing on the Arena Leadership philosophy, David Howell examines leadership from inside the arena: where decisions have consequences, people are complicated, and there is rarely a perfect response. Rather than offering formulas for controlling difficult people, The Bullfighter focuses on developing the leader-strengthening judgment, courage, integrity, accountability, communication, adaptability, and influence.
Through realistic workplace situations, reflection, and decision-making, readers are challenged to recognize what is happening beneath conflict and resistance, examine their own responses under pressure, and make deliberate leadership choices.
The goal is not to defeat the bull.
The goal is to become the kind of leader who can remain in the arena when the bull arrives.
The Bullfighter is for supervisors, managers, emerging leaders, and anyone responsible for leading people through difficult situations.
Leadership is not about controlling people.
It is about Building People.
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