TED Talks Daily Are we celebrating the wrong leaders? | Martin Gutmann
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May 24, 2024 
Historian Martin Gutmann, an expert in leadership, encourages us to rethink our admiration for dramatic leaders. He compares the flawed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton with the meticulous Roald Amundsen, highlighting how society often celebrates the wrong figures. Gutmann argues that true leaders often avoid crises and are defined by quiet resilience rather than flashy actions. By examining historical examples, he advocates for a broader understanding of effective leadership that values preparation, strategic thinking, and the quiet contributions that truly guide successful outcomes.
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Shackleton vs. Amundsen
- Consider two polar explorer candidates: one with consistent success and another with repeated failures.
- Surprisingly, the failure-prone Ernest Shackleton is celebrated, while the successful Roald Amundsen is largely forgotten.
Celebrating the Wrong Leaders
- We celebrate the wrong leaders, not just in polar exploration but in many fields.
- This is problematic because the leaders we celebrate influence who we learn from and emulate.
The Action Fallacy
- The action fallacy is our tendency to equate noise and dramatic action with effective leadership.
- We often mistake a good story for good leadership, but they are not the same.