Leadership Warts And Leadership Warts And AllAll

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Barbara kellermanBarbara kellerman

Most of the hugely successful Most of the hugely successful scholars argue, that effective leaders scholars argue, that effective leaders are persons of meritare persons of merit

If most leaders were worthy people, If most leaders were worthy people, it would be easy to understand why it would be easy to understand why we accentuate the positivewe accentuate the positive

New York times wryly quipped, it now New York times wryly quipped, it now “ takes a sore card to keep up with “ takes a sore card to keep up with corporate scandals in America.”corporate scandals in America.”

Leaders Weren’t Always NiceLeaders Weren’t Always Nice

Consider Machiavelli, a player in Consider Machiavelli, a player in fifteenth-and sixteenth-century fifteenth-and sixteenth-century Florentine politics and often a witness Florentine politics and often a witness to brutal warfareto brutal warfare

The PrinceThe Prince Machiavelli argued that the only truly Machiavelli argued that the only truly

bad leadership is weak leadershipbad leadership is weak leadership Like Machiavelli, the Founding Fathers Like Machiavelli, the Founding Fathers

of the United States had personal of the United States had personal experience of bad leadershipexperience of bad leadership

Where the Theory Went WrongWhere the Theory Went Wrong

Consider Lawrence Summer’s Consider Lawrence Summer’s speech, he said, "In this new century, speech, he said, "In this new century, nothing will matter more than the nothing will matter more than the education of future leaders.”education of future leaders.”

Harvard’s “Statement of Values,” Harvard’s “Statement of Values,” ““Aspires… to prepare individuals for Aspires… to prepare individuals for

life, work, and leadership.”life, work, and leadership.”

James MacGregor Burns, A James MacGregor Burns, A biographer of Franklin Delano biographer of Franklin Delano RooseveltRoosevelt

Leaders create shared meaning, Leaders create shared meaning, have a distinctive voice have the have a distinctive voice have the capacity to adapt, and have integrity capacity to adapt, and have integrity

What We Can Learn from Bad What We Can Learn from Bad LeadersLeaders

Many a lesson can be learned from Many a lesson can be learned from business leaders’ blundersbusiness leaders’ blunders

Howell RainesHowell Raines No leader has fallen further faster No leader has fallen further faster

than Rainesthan Raines Rewarding only technical merit and Rewarding only technical merit and

ambition, as Raines did, leads to a ambition, as Raines did, leads to a distorted kind of management and a distorted kind of management and a lack of checks and balances on the lack of checks and balances on the team team

Robert Morgenthau announced the Robert Morgenthau announced the indictment of former Tyco CEO Dennis indictment of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski for allegedly evading more Kozlowski for allegedly evading more than $1 million in taxes on purchases of than $1 million in taxes on purchases of fine artfine art

$6,000 shower curtain, $17,000 $6,000 shower curtain, $17,000 traveling toilette box, $1,650 traveling toilette box, $1,650 appointment book, and his $15,000 dog-appointment book, and his $15,000 dog-shaped umbrella stand.shaped umbrella stand.

As with Raines, Kozlowski’s strengths As with Raines, Kozlowski’s strengths and weaknesses were inextricably and weaknesses were inextricably linkedlinked

Could Kozlowski have had the good Could Kozlowski have had the good side of leadership with the bad?side of leadership with the bad?

Scholars should remind us that Scholars should remind us that leadership is not a moral conceptleadership is not a moral concept

Thank youThank you

Questions?Questions?