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The Bad Leadership Podcast

The Bad Leadership Podcast

By: Nathan Pali
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About this listen

The Bad Leadership Podcast is a history-driven show about the worst leadership decisions ever made—and the people who made them.

Each episode examines real moments in history where leaders failed spectacularly: strategic blunders, ethical breakdowns, toxic authority, and ego-driven decisions that led to disaster. These aren’t hindsight-is-20/20 critiques. They’re deep dives into how intelligent, powerful people make catastrophically bad choices when pressure, fear, pride, and incentives collide.

Through storytelling and analysis, the show unpacks bad leadership, failed decision-making, organizational collapse, political miscalculation, and the psychology of power. You’ll hear how armies were lost, companies imploded, movements collapsed, and entire nations paid the price for one leader’s blind spot.

This podcast isn’t about inspirational quotes or leadership hacks. It’s about the consequences of poor leadership, unchecked authority, and leaders who stopped listening.

If you’re fascinated by leadership failures, historical disasters, power dynamics, management mistakes, and the uncomfortable truth that bad leadership is usually obvious—just not to the person in charge—this show is for you.

The Bad Leadership Podcast Because leadership lessons are often written in mistakes, not victories.

© 2026 The Bad Leadership Podcast All rights reserved.
Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Nikolai Vavilov: Science vs. Ideology and Starvation
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the compelling story of Nikolai Vavilov, a botanist and geneticist who risked everything to collect seeds and prevent famine in the Soviet Union. We examine his conflict with Trofim Lysenko and illustrate how ideology and the pursuit of certainty can lead to devastating consequences when prioritized over scientific truth and reality.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Vavilov    00:37 Vavilov's Vision and Work    03:33 The Rise of Lysenkoism    08:21 Vavilov's Arrest and Legacy
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    8 mins
  • Leadership by Delay: How James Buchanan Let the Civil War Happen
    Jan 16 2026

    James Buchanan believed that staying calm and following the letter of the law would save the Union. Instead, his refusal to act accelerated its collapse. This episode examines Buchanan’s presidency, the Dred Scott decision, secession, and why delay can be the most dangerous leadership strategy of all.

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    10 mins
  • The Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg's Mary's Heights
    Feb 14 2026
    In this episode, we explore the devastating leadership failure during the Battle of Fredericksburg, focusing on the Irish Brigade's doomed advance at Mary's Heights. We discuss the strategic missteps, the immense casualties, and the lingering questions about why the brigade was sent forward into an unwinnable battle.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Fredericksburg    00:43 Burnside's Ill-Fated Plan    04:44 The Irish Brigade's Advance    10:55 Lessons in Leadership Failure
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    9 mins
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