In many cases, how we understand the financial market and business ethics can be traced back to key incidents in history. One man’s fight to change employers, for example, made a lasting impact on employee rights.
All in Leadership Journey
President Obama attempted to advance ideals – ideals of universal rights, the benefits of strong, democratic institutions, and of openness and respect. He wasn’t always successful in doing so and regularly had to deal with the hard realities of our imperfect world, for example when trying to intervene in the war in Syria or fight Russian disinformation.
Leadership Journey: Katharine Graham
Katharine Graham was born to be a newspaperwoman. Her father owned the Washington Post and her husband would later become an influential publisher at the same paper – but nothing was handed to her on a silver platter. In a deeply sexist age when many believed a woman’s place was in the home, Graham had to battle prejudice all her life. After taking over the reins at the Post, her unique leadership style, skills and insight made her one of the most successful publishers in the United States. Her time at the paper was crowned by its most important scoop: uncovering the Watergate scandal.
Isaac Newton is one of the most influential people who ever lived. By relying on mathematical proof, he forever changed the way we test observations and deduce the workings of the world. Part of Newton’s influence is attributable to the fact that he lived during the Enlightenment, a time in history when much of the world was leaving behind superstition and belief in magic. His math-based methodology, as well as the scale of his fundamental discoveries, set the standard for scientific inquiry for generations to come.
Germany’s history, though somewhat overshadowed by the grim events of recent history, is rich and fascinating. Before fascism and communism, not to mention the disturbing events of World War I, Germany was a federation of countries united by a common language that had been standardized by the great religious reformer Martin Luther. Beer, the favorite national drink, brought Germanic peoples even closer together. Furthermore, Germans controlled one of the largest international-trade networks of medieval times, and their homeland gave birth to both gothic architecture and mechanical clocks.
After the American Revolution, the young nation undertook an experiment in government: a constitutional democracy overseen by a president. This new system relied on a separation of powers within the government. Over the years, the office has evolved, but it nonetheless remains anchored by Congress. Thanks to the solid framework provided by the US Constitution, it’s safe to say the role of the American president, despite the flux of world politics, will remain stable