Leading at the front was all about taking personal risk. … ‘The captain always goes down with the ship

Season 2, Episode 5

Taking on leadership positions often involves the acceptance of personal risk. There is no finer example of this than the opening vignette to this episode where I found myself reading through an exhibit depicting a line of national leaders over a twenty-year period who were murdered decades later when the nation was conquered by another. The naval tradition of “the Captain always goes down the ship” is another example.

Contrast this with other situations in which the leader is essentially protected from harm, either because of organizational culture or presiding checks and balances that constrain leaders’ actions. Not all circumstances demand that the leaders take personal sacrifices but leadership and personal responsibility do not always seem to be aligned. To what extent does this create problems between leaders and the led?

Works Referenced:

Galvin, T. (2019). Communication campaigning: Primer for senior leaders. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Publications.