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Cautionary Tales:

The Impact of Bad Leadership in Government

 

Articles
Podcasts
  • The Challenger Disaster
    The Coaching for Leaders podcast interviews Allan McDonald, the engineer who refused to sign off on the Challenger launch due to safety concerns.


Books

Cover of Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent Into Madness in Irag's Triangle of Death

Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent Into Madness in Irag's Triangle of Death

By Jim Frederick

This intense and compelling book describes the conditions that made possible the 2006 Mamudiyah killings, a notorious incident invoving the rape and killing of a 14 year-old girl and the murder of her parents and six year-old sister. The crimes were perpetrated by four U.S. soldiers, members of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company in the Army's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, a unit which was deployed at the time in a region south of Baghdad known as the Triangle of Death. Jim Frederick interviewed many of the members of the 1-502nd Regiment to gain a full picture of the context in which the incident occurred and the events that led up to it. While he does does not shy away from holding the perpetrators responsible for their actions, the author also makes it clear how flawed strategy, insufficient resources, and out-of-touch leadership at multiple levels were contributing factors.   Read More...

Cover of Truth, Lies and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Truth, Lies and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

By Allan J. McDonald

The evening of January 27, 1986, executives from NASA and Morton Thiokol held a three hour conference call to discuss whether it was safe to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger the next morning. Engineers from Morton Thiokol, including Allan McDonald, were opposed to the launcch because the sub-freezing temperatures forecast for Cape Canaveral the next day were too cold for the solid rocket booster's O-rings to function properly. Management at Morton Thiokol ultimately bowed to pressure from NASA and agreed to approve the launch. When NASA requested the company's written confirmation of their recommendation, McDonald--then the senior Morton Thiokol official at Cape Canaveral--refused to sign. An executive at the company's headquarters in Utah promptly signed it instead and faxed it in. As is now well-established, the O-rings failed and the Challenger exploded, killing all seven astronauts on board. In Truth, Lies and O-Rings, McDonald explains the flawed process that led to the fateful decision, the subsequent investigation, and efforts to cover up what really happened. He also describes his own successful efforts to lead the redesign of the rocket boosters. Read More...

Cover of Bad Leadership by Barbara Kellerman

Bad Leadership

By Barbara Kellerman

In this terrific analysis of the "dark side of leadership," Barbara Kellerman identifies seven kinds of bad leadership: incompetent, rigid, intemperate, callous, corrupt, insular and evil.  She explores numerous case studies from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, including Bill Clinton's insularity during the Rwanda genocide and Radovan Karadzic's role in the atrocities against Bosnian Muslims.  One of the most useful parts of this book is Kellerman's discussion of the role of followers.  She repeatedly argues that followers could have curbed the impact of, if not stopped, the cases of bad leadership she discusses.  "Without followers nothing happens, including bad leadership," she asserts.  Includes useful suggestions on how we can all be more effective followers.  Read More...

Cover of The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty

The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty

By Caroline Alexander

History has been unkind to William Bligh, the Commander of the Bounty, who (along with 17 others) was set adrift in the South Pacific by Fletcher Christian and his band of mutineers.  The traditional caricature of Bligh portrays him as a physically abusive tyrant.  In this thoroughly researched and wonderfully written account of the story, Caroline Alexander paints a much more complex portrait of Bligh as a brilliant navigator who took fastidious care of the health of his crew and mostly tried to avoid corporal punishment (by that day's standard).  Bligh learned a great deal of value from his mentor, Captain James Cook, but Bligh's sharp tongue, micromanagement, and failure to learn from his mistakes cost him dearly throughout his life.  Read More...