Leadership, we’re often told, is a matter of setting the right example. It seems logical, then, to ask today’s leaders for their defining examples of good and bad leadership. HBR canvassed leaders in business, education, and the arts, posing to each of them two questions: What person, experience, or work of literature taught you the most about effective leadership? What person or experience taught you the meaning of bad leadership?
A version of this article appeared in the December 2001 issue of Harvard Business Review.
