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Are We Celebrating the Wrong Leaders?

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As a YouTube addict, I have stumbled across a TED video worth spreading.

The image is divided into two sections. On the left, a calm scene shows a captain in a cabin calculating a course with an iceberg visible through a window, dominated by serene blues. On the right, a chaotic scene depicts a sinking ship near an iceberg.
Image created by aiturbo, WriteCream, and author

Non-members can read this story here.

Martin Gutmann was born in Sweden. He has a Ph.D. in history from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, USA. He also completed programs at IE Business School, Spain, Harvard University, USA, and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He has worked in Japan, the US, Canada, Mauritius, Germany, and Switzerland. Last but not least, he is the author of “The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership”. The video shows a TED talk at TEDxBerlin on February 2nd, 2024.

At the end, you will find the link to the original video.

Martin Gutmann gives two short résumés of two polar expedition leaders.

As the first person ever, Leader A successfully completed expeditions to the South Pole, the Northeast Passage, and the Northwest Passage. Additionally, he led a successful expedition to the North Pole.

Leader B participated in four expeditions to the Antarctic, three of them as a leader. All four expeditions failed, partly catastrophically, causing deaths.

Both men lived during the “Heroic Age of Polar Exploration.”

I assume you are guessing already that Leader B has received most of the fame. But you…

Open Microphone
Open Microphone

Published in Open Microphone

This is a place where we leave the mic open. It’s a safe space to say what’s on your mind.

Edda
Edda

Written by Edda

I am a professional programmer from Germany. Since school, I have liked literature. Now I would like to publish some of my own writing. Hope you enjoy it.

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