Little Big Men
An oversimplified image of traditional warrior-style leadership in President George W. Bush’s first term caused costly setbacks for America’s role in the world. That is because the “big man” approach to leadership is not well adapted to modern information societies, with their institutional constraints, such as constitutions and impersonal legal systems.
CAMBRIDGE – History is often written in terms of military heroes, but the enormous potential of human leadership ranges from Attila the Hun to Mother Teresa. Most everyday leaders remain unheralded. The role of heroic leadership in war leads to overemphasis of command and control and hard military power. In America today, the presidential debate is between Senator John McCain, a war hero, and Senator Barack Obama, a former community organizer.
CAMBRIDGE – History is often written in terms of military heroes, but the enormous potential of human leadership ranges from Attila the Hun to Mother Teresa. Most everyday leaders remain unheralded. The role of heroic leadership in war leads to overemphasis of command and control and hard military power. In America today, the presidential debate is between Senator John McCain, a war hero, and Senator Barack Obama, a former community organizer.