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accomplish their work through quiet reflection and in a modest manner, leadership is characterised by energy and movement in the face of harrowing odds. In any given crisis (the larger the better), the good leader is the one who moves and acts, while everyone around them is paralysed by indecision. It is this lively action, so the Action Fallacy holds, that is the essential quality of a good leader and the ultimate indicator of the leader’s effectiveness.” Put differently, when we look for leaders in the past, we are more likely to pick out those who were the liveliest, who made the most noise, fought the hardest and, therefore, whose stories are the most entertaining, rather than those – often picked out by professional historians – who may have had a huge impact through more subtle means. Louverture is a case in point here because his story is probably not fit for a Hollywood action movie. When the insurrection in Haiti first started in 1791, Louverture hung back and let other men lead from the front. Later, as a military leader, he championed retreat and negotiations over standing his ground on the field of battle. And, by the time the revolution was over, he was already dead. A BROADER CAST OF CHARACTERS As societies that strive towards truth and equity, setting the historical record straight is important in itself. However, there is also a contemporary business imperative in counteracting the Action Fallacy and how it causes us to celebrate only a narrow set of historical leaders. If we’re sloppy with the historical leaders we profile, then the same is likely to happen in our teams as well, as recent studies suggest. The ‘babble
hypothesis’ proposed by Binghamton University’s Neil MacLaren, for example, shows that those who talk more are more likely to be perceived as leaders, regardless of what they actually say. Put simply, we tend to be more concerned with who behaves the way we think a leader should, rather than those who actually create a positive impact, or potentially could. This is bad for business. So, what can we do? For a start, we have to change how we teach leadership by profiling a broader cast of characters in the case studies used in business schools. If we continue to celebrate primarily action- oriented leaders, then these are the types of new leaders we will produce. More broadly, we must reframe our conception of what a leader looks like and what they do to create a positive impact. We need to be more nuanced and be willing to look beneath the surface, rather than be bedazzled by those whose response to any challenge
is to leap into action. After all, in light of the pressure and disruption facing today’s organisations, you will want to make sure that you have not only your Washingtons and Napoleons in the right place, but also your Louvertures.
Martin Gutmann is a historian, author and professor at the Lucerne School of Business, Switzerland. He is also a partner at boutique coaching firm Align Coaching and Consulting and author of The Unseen Leader , a deep dive into leaders of the past that challenges mainstream perceptions of leadership
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Business Impact • ISSUE 4 • 2023
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