Tag Archives: pedestal
When Visionaries Disappoint Us: Living Legacy vs. Leadership Choices
Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for democratic resistance to military dictatorship in Myanmar, was released from house arrest in 2010. Now State Counsellor, facing a crisis of targeted attacks on the minority Rohingya people, she is expected to stand up for inclusion and peace once again. What can we learn […]
The Wild Truth: Was Chris McCandless trauma victim, hero, or just a lost seeker? Why his celebrity doesn’t teach us as much as we might think…
Much has been written about Chris McCandless’ fatal journey Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer’s biography made into a successful movie. Now Carine McCandless’ book shares the backstory she asked Krakauer to minimize, and what a difference it makes when we think of her brother’s early death! Krakauer’s story turned McCandless into a modern day luddite […]
When Leaders Fail: Is There a Point of No Return?
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 […]
Bathsheba Syndrome: Leadership and Power, Lust and Sin
Carey Upton, in his blog Creating the 21st Century, wrote a great essay about Bathsheba Syndrome, about the impact of leaders whose moral failings happen partly because of their success and power. Based on the myth of King David and Bathsheba from the Old Testament of the Bible, and other sources. Upton does a great […]
