Franz Kafka’s Lessons for Leadership in a Post-Truth World

Franz Kafka is one of the most famous writers of the 20th century but also one of its most misunderstood. In her ground-breaking analyses of his life and work, world-renowned leadership scholar, Leah Tomkins, uncovers who Kafka was and why his stories have such enduring appeal. 

Tomkin busts the myth that Kafka was always rooting for the underdog, emphasising that his expertise in the dynamics of power derives from real-life experiences as a leader and policy-maker in early 20th century Prague.  

Through Kafka’s eyes power does not sit with those at the top of an organisational, political or social hierarchy. Even the most battered and bruised have more control over events than they imagine.

In a way, Kafka paved the way for Václav Havel and his notion of the power of the powerless. Showcasing how power hinges on control of the narrative, Tompkin will argue that Kafka is extraordinarily relevant for our ‘post-truth’ world, where truth is often up for grabs and authority belongs to whoever can spin the most compelling fictions and fantasies. 

Join Tompkin’s talk to inspire reflection for all aspiring leaders, as well as everyone who experiences leadership – both good and bad – at the hands of others. 

More About the Guest Speaker

Professor Leah Tomkins is a writer, scholar and leadership consultant. Academic affiliations include the Universities of Oxford, Cranfield and the West of England, and she is section editor for the Journal of Business Ethics, recognised in the top 50 journals used by the Financial Times in the prestigious Business School research ranking. Leah is a true ‘scholar-practitioner’ who operates at senior levels in both academia and practice, having held leadership roles in organisations including Accenture, KPMG, the UK Government, and London’s Metropolitan Police Service. She is currently Chief Leadership Officer for the strategic devolution of central to local government in Oxfordshire, UK. 

A linguist by background, Leah interweaves leadership with the humanities, arguing that many of the issues that frustrate today’s leaders can be traced in language, literature and philosophy. Her ground-breaking book, Franz Kafka and the Truths of Leadership, was published in 2024 to mark the centenary of Kafka’s death. The book is remarkable for its balancing of close textual analysis with practical wisdom for our contemporary lives, both in and beyond the workplace. It is grounded in research with the original Kafka manuscripts, for Leah is one of the rare few scholars to have been granted access to the Kafka archive in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.