Bad Leadership

CHAPTER NINE

Insular

Bill Clinton

Insular Leadership—the leader and at least some followers minimize or disregard the health and welfare of “the other”—that is, those outside the group or organization for which they are directly responsible.

INSULAR LEADERS ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES between themselves and their followers on the one side, and everyone else on the other. To insular leaders, human rights in general are less important than the rights, and even the needs and wants, of their specific constituencies.

To a degree this is simply human nature. My group—my family, my tribe, my country—competes with your group for scarce resources, and it comes first in every other way as well. Still, leaders could decide differently. They could decide to promote ...