Tag Archives: American

Are we overreacting to private mistakes? Broken pedestals and the constant leadership crisis of the American “freak show”

November 21, 2013 · by · in Authentic Leadership, Bathsheba Syndrome, Popular Culture, Rob Ford · Leave a comment

Francis Cline’s NY Times editorial introduces Neil MacDonald’s wisdom about the ongoing Rob Ford leadership scandal. Ford is an extreme case of private behavior poisoning public perceptions. But in other cases, are we overreacting? Is private morality really the marker of good leaders, or is that a new leadership myth? The CBC Washington Correspondent wryly […]

When Leaders Fail: Is There a Point of No Return?

September 10, 2013 · by · in Art and Leadership, Authentic Leadership, Creative Followership, Sustainable Leadership · 2 Comments

Sometimes I think American ideas about leadership are relentlessly optimistic. We believe that authenticity guarantees meaningful success, and we tell the story that visionary leaders are heroes who muster the stamina to fail and rise again, better than they were. We celebrate creative followers for taking risks that make the world better. But we rarely […]

Authentic Leadership in Popular Culture: The Hunger Games

June 5, 2013 · by · in Art and Leadership, Authentic Leadership, HOPEFUL LEADERSHIP, Popular Culture · 2 Comments

Americans have a love affair with revolutionary authenticity. Not so long ago in the grand scheme of things, we won our own revolution, and created the complex system of checks and balances we stumble over and muddle through now. Revolutionary cultures value revolution, but also fear it. We know its power, and yearn for its […]