Are We Celebrating the Wrong Leaders? | Martin Gutmann | TED

Summary

The speaker challenges the audience's perception of leadership through a thought experiment comparing polar explorers Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen. While Shackleton is celebrated for his dramatic failures, Amundsen's successful expeditions are overlooked. The talk highlights the 'action fallacy'—our tendency to admire leaders who create noise and action, often overlooking those who quietly and effectively manage challenges. The speaker calls for a shift in recognizing and rewarding leaders who prevent crises through careful planning and management, rather than those who merely react to them.

Takeaways

• 🧭 The speaker uses a thought experiment about hiring a polar explorer to illustrate the tendency to choose leaders based on dramatic stories rather than success.
• 📚 Ernest Shackleton is often celebrated for his leadership despite numerous failures, while Roald Amundsen, who was highly successful, is largely forgotten.
• 🎓 The speaker, a historian who studies leadership, argues that we often celebrate the wrong leaders, not just in polar exploration but in other areas as well.
• 💡 There is a significant bias in leadership perception, often favoring those who are associated with action and noise over those who quietly and effectively manage situations.
• 🤔 The 'action fallacy' is identified as a key reason we celebrate the wrong leaders, confusing a good story with good leadership.
• 🏊‍♂️ Leadership is compared to swimming a river, where a calm and knowledgeable swimmer is less noticed than a reckless one who creates a spectacle.
• 🚢 Shackleton's 'Endurance' expedition is highlighted as an example of a dramatic story that is not indicative of good leadership due to self-inflicted crises.
• ❄️ Amundsen's expeditions are contrasted as successful and uneventful due to careful planning and understanding of the environment, which is a better model of leadership.
• 🏢 The action fallacy is not just a historical misinterpretation but also affects modern leadership perceptions in the workplace.
• 📈 The speaker suggests that celebrating the wrong leaders can lead to organizational underperformance and a toxic culture where good work is overlooked.
• 🔑 To overcome the action fallacy, we must reevaluate what good leadership looks like, focusing on those who mitigate crises rather than create them.

Q & A

What is the thought experiment presented in the script about?

The thought experiment is about choosing between two polar explorers, Candidate A and Candidate B, to lead an expedition. Candidate A has successfully achieved all four major polar goals, while Candidate B has a history of failed expeditions, yet in reality, Candidate B (Ernest Shackleton) is celebrated for his leadership qualities.

Who are the real-life counterparts of Candidate A and Candidate B?

Candidate A is the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who successfully achieved all four major polar goals, and Candidate B is the Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton, known for his failed yet celebrated expeditions.

Why does the speaker believe we often hire 'Candidate B' types in real life?

The speaker suggests that we often hire 'Candidate B' types because we are tricked by the action fallacy, which is the mistaken belief that the best leaders are those who generate the most noise, action, and sensational activity in dramatic circumstances.

What is the 'action fallacy' as described in the script?

The 'action fallacy' is the misconception that the best leaders are those who create the most dramatic stories, often through high levels of noise and action. This can lead to overlooking leaders who quietly and effectively manage situations.

How does the speaker illustrate the difference between Shackleton and Amundsen's leadership?

The speaker uses the analogy of swimming across a violent river. Shackleton is compared to a swimmer who fights the current and nearly drowns, while Amundsen is likened to a swimmer who studies the river and uses its currents to cross effortlessly.

What is the main issue with celebrating leaders like Shackleton over Amundsen?

Celebrating leaders like Shackleton over Amundsen can lead to a toxic culture where effective and quiet leadership is overlooked, and it can also create a self-perpetuating cycle of promoting leaders who are action-oriented but not necessarily the most effective.

What is the term used to describe the type of leadership that focuses on behind-the-scenes work and process building?

The term used to describe this type of leadership is 'boring management', as coined by Harvard Business School professor Raffaella Sadun.

Why is it important to reevaluate our understanding of good leadership?

Reevaluating our understanding of good leadership is important because the leaders we celebrate are the ones we learn from, and this has a direct impact on the success or failure of our endeavors.

What is the speaker's suggestion for overcoming the action fallacy?

The speaker suggests overcoming the action fallacy by reimagining what good leadership looks like, ignoring the 'captains of crisis', and celebrating those who mitigate drama through careful planning and process building.

How does the speaker describe the impact of 'boring management' on organizational success?

The speaker describes 'boring management' as the real toolkit of good leaders, which may not be as exciting as dramatic leadership displays but is crucial for effective and sustainable organizational success.

What is the ultimate message the speaker wants the audience to take away from the script?

The ultimate message is to resist the temptation to be dazzled by tales of adventure and instead look for leaders who quietly and effectively guide their teams to success, avoiding unnecessary crises and drama.