Shiv Kumar Vadrewu Warren Harding Error 2.

0 13November, 20

Warren Harding Error 2.0: Leadership lessons 100 years hence….

The single-term Trump Presidency, while ominously reminiscent of the

Warren Harding saga, has lessons for leadership hiring.
A 100 years ago, in 1920, the Republicans in the United States
compromised to nominate Warren Harding for Presidency in the face of
a deadlock amongst the two leading Republican candidates. In
hindsight, this choice of President came to be rated by historians as ‘one
of the worst Presidents in American History’ (Blink, Malcolm Gladwell,
Pg75). Harding’s short tenure was marred by corruption and scandals;
he passed away due to a stroke in 1923.
Gladwell expands on the Warren Harding Error: ‘The Warren Harding
error is the Dark Side of rapid cognition…. It explains why utter
mediocrities sometimes end up in positions of enormous responsibility….
We have to understand those circumstances when rapid cognition leads
us astray.’ Did the Republicans err in their ‘Thin Slicing’ of Trump? The
term Thin Slicing means making very quick inferences about the state,
characteristics or details of an individual or situation with minimal
amounts of information. These errors, in Politics, Corporates and life,
can be prohibitive in their human and business costs.
The comparison between Harding and Trump can be dubbed overblown.
Harding was notorious for his immoral and corrupt ways; way more than
what Trump Presidency has had to encounter. Harding rapidly lost his
popularity after his death. Though, Trump lost his re-election, yet, he set
a record for the votes polled by a losing candidate. Finally, Harding left
the economy in tatters but the US economy today is showing strong
signs of revival.
The uncanny similarities, though, between the two Presidencies are
inescapable. Warren Harding was ‘A Great-looking President’; ‘The TDH
Man’. Much like Trump, who was also a reality Television Star with
exceptional oratory skills. Both commanded a huge following amongst
Republican voters. Both were controversial (mercurial) in decision
making. We probably will see litigation and reversal of a lot of Trump
decisions. Finally, both had single-terms (or less); one, unfortunately, cut
down mid-term by poor health; the other by poor leadership.
Shiv Kumar Vadrewu Warren Harding Error 2.0 13November, 20

This begs the question, is Warren Harding Error inherent to human

nature and hence, inevitable? In Politics as in Corporates, will it come
back to bite us time and again, imposing enormous costs? Can we steer
clear from inherent biases in Leadership hiring or nominations, say? I
cite 3 contributory factors for the notorious Warren Harding Error, in
politics and corporate life:
1. Leadership vacuum: depleted talent pool. Inability to find stalwart
leaders leading to compromise and consensus.
2. Absence of Values-Mavens: Those who are galvanized by the
goals of preserving the Core Values and moral fabric (in Politics
and Companies); and not necessarily spurred by the desire for the
Corner Office. And, hence, dare to speak up.
3. Volatile Socio-economic conditions: dwindling economic growth
and specious nationalism by demagogues vitiating decision
making.
When decision making is not driven by hard facts and insightful
analytics, and we allow ‘mediocre people (to) find their way into positions
of authority in companies and organizations’ (Blink, Pg 88), think we
have to fight the Warren Harding Error.