Introducing Dr. Elesa Zehndorfer
Dr. Elesa Zehndorfer is an award-winning leadership and academic researcher, consultant, TEDx speaker, and writer with a PhD from Loughborough University. She is the author of seven books, including Leadership: Performance Beyond Expectations and the upcoming Post-Truth Politics: A Brave New World?, her work connects leadership theory with practical applications across politics, finance, health, and wellness.
Elesa's innovative research explores how physiology shapes leadership and decision-making, offering fresh insights into modern challenges: disinformation, burnout, and team performance. A storyteller too, Elesa has delivered keynote speeches globally, from TEDx Klagenfurt to the Philippine Olympic Commission, and her debut novel, Upload, has been well reviewed as a gripping psychological thriller and she is currently writing a novel for young adults.
On a personal note, Elesa and I share great-grandparents, Puran Devi Salariya and Piara Singh Salariya.
Elesa Zehndorfer - Quickfire Questions
What sparked your interest in leadership? Reading Biko by Donald Woods.
Biggest influence in leadership theory? Max Weber.
Most thought-provoking book? Biko (Donald Woods), I Write What I Like (Steve Biko) and Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.
How do you start your day? If possible, with a workout!
Key leadership trait? Integrity
Favourite research tool? High quality academic research journal articles.
Most surprising physiology-leadership link? Supplementing with testosterone might actually influence how we vote.
Alternate career choice? Possibly physiotherapist.
Coffee or tea? Always coffee!
Best writing spot? My home office with an aromatic candle lit.
Top TEDx moment? Delivering a TEDx talk in Klagenfurt, Austria (2024) about fake news.
Favourite stress reliever? Exercise and/or being in nature.
Guilty pleasure? Science fiction / action movies.
Leadership philosophy in one word? Integrity.
Overused leadership buzzword? Resilience.
Most exciting part of your work? Finding theoretical links between seemingly disparate fields that no-one else has recognised before.
Tip for new leadership researchers? Use rigorous academic data!
Historical leader you admire? Steve Biko.
Best time for focused work? Morning, when testosterone levels and cortisol levels are highest.
Must-have for productivity? Ideally, silence and calm to write.
Post-Truth Politics: A Brave New World?
DS: Your new book, Post-Truth Politics: A Brave New World?, explores the intersection of disinformation, generative AI, and populism. What inspired you to tackle this topic, and what do you hope readers will take away from it?
EZ: I felt that the complexity of the post-truth landscape was not being communicated. Most people know what fake news is, for example, but they don't know that it is just one part of cognitive warfare, (military studies) which opens up a whole other world of complexity and significance. Or that cognitive warfare (neurology) powerfully and sophisticatedly targets us on specific neurological and bases. The addictive nature of social media has also been weaponised completely in disinformation practices (largely a physiological concept), while post truth appeals also borrow heavily from neuromarketing theory. We can also note that commercialisation of fake news has spawned a whole new breed of content creator, that is powerfully blinding us to reality and shaping the (online) world that we inhabit - most people have no knowledge that this is happening around them, all the time.
I generally tend to find strong links between seemingly disparate fields, which is what I've done with this book - it was ultimately frustrating me to see that people were remaining largely politically disempowered through not having this knowledge in one place, which is why I wrote the book.
DS: Your work often links leadership and physiology. Could you elaborate on how physiological responses shape decision-making in leadership and politics?
EZ: I view physiology (in a wider sense, biology) as a basis for everything. Most people see emotions shaping behaviour - but I see hormones, brain chemistry, neurotransmitters, which then shape what we THEN experience as emotions. To understand that is to really gain a lot more power in the context of self-leadership, and in the context of leading others.
Understanding physiology means really appreciating how to use certain hormones, or certain breathing exercises (for example) as a kind of effective first responder to stress. That is great self-leadership. To me, how can you lead others if you cannot first lead yourself? A knowledge of physiology also helps greatly in understanding barriers to effective leadership (such as burnout) as they are often physiological at their root.
DS: In Evolution, Politics & Charisma: Why Do Populists Win?, you examine the role of human physiology in populist campaigns. How do you think emerging technologies, like AI and neuromarketing, amplify these effects?
EZ: I like that you have used the term 'amplifiers' as this is a term I've specifically used in my political horror Upload! That*s the way I see emerging tech, AI, social media, etc - as amplifiers to the core structure of populism. If you look at the logo for SCL Group, the military parent company to Cambridge Analytica, you'll see that it is a brain. Modern populist campaigns now all use neurological and physiological research to microtarget us, using social media data, modelling Big 5 traits (such as narcissism) and even broad differences in brain structure between liberal and conservative ideologies (for example far right voters tend to have a denser amygdala, and appear more responsive to hate, fear & disgust-based appeals). While populist appeals (e.g., out group rhetoric) are powerful, the sophistication with which AI (e.g. through creating deepfakes) can amplify them is profound, unstable and dangerous.
And yes, that does all sound like a sci-fi model, but it is all true!
DS: Your debut novel Upload looks into psychological and philosophical themes within a fast-paced thriller. How did your academic background in leadership and psychology influence the narrative and character development?
EZ: I absolutely loved writing that novel. I am a big fan of George Orwell - Why I Write is always on my desk - and I share his approach in appreciating the deep power of fiction in communicating theory. I had written a politics book for Routledge before it (about the rise of populism, and how evolutionary triggers and charismatic appeals are used to power populist appeals) and realised that sometimes, a great story is simply the best way to communicate the power of those theoretical observations. So I used them to power a political horror - a fast-moving plot that carries the reader through key theory without the reader realising that they are learning anything (just as Orwellian fiction does - Orwell is such a master at that). It is when you later reflect, after finishing the book, that you see the same patterns play out in real life, in politics, religion and big tech.
DS: Your research frequently addresses emotional and irrational behaviours, particularly in investing and leadership. What practical advice would you give to individuals trying to resist these impulses in high-stakes environments?
EZ: I think that understanding your physiology is key - it is immensely empowering. For example, testosterone and cortisol levels being higher in the mornings carries key implications for a number of choices we might make on a daily basis. In 'The Physiology of Emotional & Irrational Investing' (Routledge) I lay these concepts out in granular detail, applying them to trading & investing. Anyone in a high stakes environment, not only trading & investing, would benefit from learning the fundamental physiological drivers of human performance.
DS: In Charismatic Leadership: The Role of Charisma in the Global Financial Crisis, you examine the influence of charisma on financial markets. How do you think charisma continues to impact market trends in the age of social media and digital influencers?
EZ: I think that charisma is a deeply powerful force. When people think of charisma, they tend to think they know what it is, and/or that it is a kind of woolly, basic concept. It is not - it is deeply complex if studied the right way, it holds immense explanatory power for current charismatic populist authoritarian politics, and there are (most people do not know this) many different types of charisma. All types are very powerful and can be combined, and microtargeted for different audiences. For me, while I study many theoretical approaches, Max Weber's charismatic authority is still by far the best theoretical treatment of charisma out there.
Charisma is essentially a biological process, too - understanding that would enable people to resist it, not be taken in by it, enjoy it without being conned or over-persuaded by it, etc. It continues to play a huge part in the online and offline world - but part of its power rests in the fact that most people still do not really understand it.
DS: Your books span diverse topics, from leadership to behavioural finance and political psychology. How do you approach connecting such multidisciplinary themes in your work?
EZ: For some reason my ability appears to lie in being able to see powerful theoretical links between seemingly disparate fields. I don't create my own theories. Instead, I try to deeply research and then uncover these links (in my writing) as I think they can feel extremely empowering to the reader. While moderating a discussion at a politics conference at the National Liberal Club last year, I discovered this way of thinking is known as systems thinking - it was nice to put a name to the approach!
DS: You’ve been recognized as a Top Writer on Quora for your contributions across industries. What do you think makes your writing resonate with such a broad audience?
EZ: I think that I am quite a rational writer - in that I have a theoretical focus driving my observations - as opposed to having an emotional basis for pushing one belief or another (which is what we usually see online, which can lead to a lot of knee jerk emotional reactions, and subsequently, not actual meaningful discussion afterward).
For example, my most recent book about post-truth politics has a bipartisan agenda - we are all united in the fact that we are being lied to, and encouraged to hate. It is the lying and the manipulation that I cannot stand and which motivated me to write that book. Also, the post-truth lie is what drives populism, and populism tends to be the window dressing for authoritarianism - so it is very dangerous and needs to be resisted.
Theory, when communicated well, can lead to 'a-ha' moments in people that they ultimately can find quite powerful. I've included a couple of deepfake images to these questions (that I created) to explain how I blend theoretical writing with a powerful emotional 'hit' - combinations like that can stop people in their tracks and make them listen. I think that ultimately, understanding physiology can help in constructing writing that engages emotions, dissuades people from being defensive, and nudges them toward having a more open mind, which I think has helped to engage readers sometimes.
DS: With a background spanning academia, consulting, and writing, what do you find most fulfilling about each role, and how do they inform one another?
EZ: I'm one of those people that is just interested in everything So I have to rein myself in a bit. Luckily, my theoretical interests (physiology, politics, sport, fitness, coaching) do tend to convene quite well under the banner of leadership, and a love of research methods always helped me find out rich data that link them all together. I find research and objectivity of data (as far as objectivity goes, anyway) to be immensely fulfilling. But I guess ultimately writing is just a deep love. I can disappear into a flow state very easily for hours at a time when I write, and I love writing in all genres (from academic to fiction!).
DS: Your exploration of leadership critiques conventional wisdom and incorporates innovative perspectives, like the role of physiology. How do you see leadership evolving in the next decade, especially in a post-pandemic world?
EZ: I think that often, some amazing books have been written by people who come from outside of a specific field that they are writing about. I think that this can free a person from dogma, and also free them to make unsocialised observations, that can ultimately be very additive to the field. Of course orthodox theory carries a huge (well-earned) power and is considered orthodox for a well-earned reason, but having that freedom to, say, combine studies of testosterone from the exercise physiology and behavioural finance literature can offer some fundamentally amazing insights that would otherwise have been left unearthed. It is hard to say what will happen in a post pandemic world - I hope very much that people turn more to understanding how to read original data - and away from Internet gurus for example - but with the disinformation juggernaut currently as powerful as it is, who knows...
DS: Tell me about the book you are writing for children - you are also using a nom-de-plume - I certainly know having worked under four different names the freedom that a change of name gives. Are you using a different name to separate yourself from your more academic work?
EZ: I have used a nom-de-plume! Which is Jake Masters. I wanted to use a male name as I am writing a young adult fiction about a young boy, Jack, who takes on this incredible adventure in a post WWII world. Usually this genre is more receptive to male writers. I don't see this as discriminatory - it is of a genre extremely heavily influenced by my childhood reading (the entire original Willard Price collection, Victor for Boys, the Boys Own Annuals from the 1800's to 1900's, Jules Verne) - so I guess I'm just happy to use a male name to kind of fit in with the way I think and write when I approach this particular genre.
This entire genre was dominated by the theme of boys' adventures of a particular kind, which, as a girl, I loved (although I didn't know any girls that read this kind of literature at the time). I suppose a male name just seems to fit. I've been told as well, numerous times, that I write like a man, when it comes to a certain kind of writing - whatever that means! - so I enjoy the freedom of having a different name for this particular title.
DS: Thank you, Elesa, for sharing your profound insights and for tackling such complex and, at times, deeply concerning topics with clarity and passion. Your ability to bridge academic theory with real-world applications offers an invaluable perspective on the challenges we are facing in leadership, politics, and decision-making in an increasingly interconnected and disinformation-driven world. While some of the issues you've illuminated are undeniably worrying, your work empowers us with the knowledge to navigate and challenge these forces effectively.
It has been brilliant to hear your thoughts, and we look forward to seeing how your research and storytelling continue to inspire and educate in the years ahead.
Elesa Zehndorfer, PhD is a multi-award-winning writer and author of Leadership: Performance Beyond Expectations(Routledge, 2022), political thriller Upload (Blackheath Publishing 2022), Evolution, Politics & Charisma: Why Do Populists Win (Routledge, 2019), Emotional & Irrational Investing: Causes & Solutions (Routledge, 2017), Charismatic Leadership: The Role of Charisma in the Global Financial Crisis (Routledge, 2016) and Leadership: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2014). Zehndorfer is also a founding partner of consulting firm Lakeside Partners GmbH, eMBA lecturer, member of the board of advisors to The Paddy Ashdown Policy Research Forum and manager of the Psychology today blog ‘Political Animals and Animal Spirits’.
Comments