Even the worst of them led by example—they showed us what not to do.
Whether they’re good or they’re bad, leaders—by virtue of their position—tend to do the same thing: they steer their subordinates toward a better future.
The good ones can do this simply by doing their jobs; they bring out the best in those under them, they have plans and systems set up to achieve success, and, sometimes, they’re even at the front, leading by example.
The bad one, meanwhile, tend to inspire their subordinates to be better; they can underperform and those below them can end up excelling just to pick up the slack. Their leadership can also be so unbearable that those they are leading can move to pursue change. Sometimes, they too lead by example—they show their subordinates what not to do.
Currently, we’re in the age of bad leaders. In recent years, democracies—smitten by lofty promises of prosperity, security, or privilege—have elected some of their biggest mistakes. And, in a number of them, the remorse is palpable.
In the United States, for example, “FAFO” (or fuck around and find out) has been found in the comments section of Republicans expressing their regret in voting for Donald Trump, the man whose radical policies have led to precarious changes in various industries. The working class has been especially affected. White conservatives, for example, have been openly expressing their frustrations over the fact that they lost their jobs due to the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies (or DEI) which they thought only benefitted people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+. That was the lie they’ve been told during the campaign season. So, they “fucked around” by voting for Trump and now they’re “finding out.”
But therein lies hope. The latter half of that acronym pertains to the wisdom that a person can benefit from. Perhaps, after this, those who regret voting for such a hard right candidate can learn to be more discerning in their electoral choices. Perhaps they may even shift towards more progressive leaders. That certainly has worked for some people in the past.
Some of history’s most notorious leaders stand out because of the invaluable lessons their failures impart. Each narrative reveals truths about human nature, power, and the responsibility that comes with leadership.
Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, for example, serves as a stark reminder of the perils of charismatic manipulation. Hitler had an extraordinary ability to galvanize crowds with his impassioned speeches, highlighting how easily charm can be weaponized in the absence of ethical considerations.
And what did that lead to? War, the suffering and death of around 40 million people. And even until now, his dangerous ideology of race superiority and authoritarian rule continue to fester in the minds of many.
This realization compels one to assess the importance of critical thinking, how necessary it is to learn how to take information and process it correctly so that one does not easily fall prey to the dangerous yet alluring propaganda the Hilter-types are capable of dishing out.
The alarming ease with which many Germans succumbed to Hitler’s influence underscores the pressing need for citizens to cultivate their own ability to think critically and question all the information that comes to them.
This is especially important because leaders who easily win their people with propaganda have the capacity to attain absolute power. And that can be a danger to the people they are meant to serve.
We look at the story Joseph Stalin. He managed to eliminate the opposition in his country and concentrate power in his hands and the results were disastrous.
Stalin, for one, killed millions of his people he perceived to be political rivals or “enemies of the state.” And those who didn’t die suffered his policies. His misuse of collectivization, for instance, forced farms to send their crops to the Soviet government which they sold overseas to fund industrialization—never mind the starving populace like the ones in Ukraine. The were those critical of such policies but were immediately silenced either through imprisonment and death.
This made his rule fear-based and that led to his country’s stagnation. Why, after all, would people present ideas if any one of them might be considered as a challenge to the state and lead to their suffering?
Such were the results of Stalin’s rise to power, the political outmaneuvering that saw him betray multiple allies while elevating loyalists. These actions were already warning signs of how dangerous the man could be as a leader. But not all tyrants start off like this.
Napoleon Bonaparte certainly didn’t. A man best remembered as a military genius and reformer, he began as a supporter of the French Revolution which also began due to societal discontent with bad leadership. It espoused ideals of equality and liberty and led to the end of French monarchy.
However in 1804, he declared himself Emperor. He ended democracy in France, and thrust the country into more than a decade of warring at the cost of millions of lives in Europe. It was seen as a betrayal of the ideals he once stood for, and a costly corruption of a man once deemed a hero.
This is why totalitarian regimes tend to suffer. Human beings are innately imperfect. Even those who appear to mean well can succumb to the pitfalls of absolute authority. The separation of powers and the existence of an opposition may have the tendency to slow down processes as the need for approvals can go through various levels and debates. But, in such systems, when resolutions do come, they can come thoroughly considered by different minds—ideally ones that cover each other’s weaknesses.
That is among the great realizations to come from people who have experienced bad leaders. It is among their consolations.
Many of them have risen throughout history and have put lives in danger because of their choices. But there is the popular adage that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” and if we survive the bad leaders of our time, perhaps that will be true for us as well—especially if we can learn from them and take something good out of the bad experiences.
