I really enjoyed the way this reading was written. I thought it communicated the information in a way that was easy to read and understand. I also felt like I learned a lot from the examples provided that I had never learned in history classes I’ve taken throughout my education. This reminded me of the what we have talked about in class about the way history is taught to American youth and the way it should be. I think it would be beneficial for children to learn more about what made certain figures good leaders and others bad leaders. It would be better for them to know why people were able to be successful rather than just what they were successful in.
I had never thought about how important it was for a leader to realize that they are not infallible. In hindsight it makes sense because we have set up a system with checks and balances because we know that our leaders have faults and make mistakes. If a leader knows they are fallible they will be less afraid to admit when they make mistakes and thus more easily able to fix mistakes. I also feel like this can help prevent the leader’s rosy halo and humanize leaders. By admitting that they have faults, leaders will be put up on less of a pedestal and followers will be more likely to be unafraid to question their actions and keep them in check with the values of the people people.
This article further reenforced in my mind that we are in uncertain times under the Trump administration. We are on uncertain ground by having a leader that seems to have no humility. He see himself as perfect, which is dangerous for a president who has real power to make the lives of millions more difficult.
I also found the checks and balances part interesting, because my main assumption for that system was simply to prevent too much power being held by any one person/office. However, it was interesting to see that idea expanded and say that the system also recognizes that leaders make mistakes.