When Failure is Not an Option
Host, Ken Harbaugh, interviews political leaders, influencers, and other history makers about the choices we confront when failure is not an option. Choices like Alexander the Great made when he landed his troops on the shores of Persia and ordered his men to burn their boats.
Latest Episode
“One of the most underrated characteristics of a good leader is vulnerability, being willing and able to acknowledge when you're not the best at something, you're not the right person for a job that you don't know the answer or that you have a weakness... And I'm willing to surround myself with people who are better than me and I'm also not afraid to tell people when I'm struggling with something.” - Jake Wood
Jake Wood, veteran and CEO of Team Rubicon, talks about his new memoir, the value of veterans serving in disaster relief, and the power of vulnerability in leaders.
Learn more about Jake’s organization Team Rubicon and find them on Twitter at @TeamRubicon. Find Jake himself on Twitter at @JakeWoodTR. Jake’s memoir, Once A Warrior: How One Veteran Found a New Mission Closer to Home, is out now.
Jacqueline Novogratz: Marshalling a Moral Revolution
Burn the BoatsVoting Rights and the 2020 Election w/ Esosa Osa and Sylvia Albert
Burn the Boats
More about the name of the show...
In 334 BC, Alexander the Great led Greek troops across the Dardanelles Straits and into Asia Minor, landing on the shores of Persia. He hoped to finally vanquish his greatest enemy, Darius III - the King of Persia. But Alexander was badly outnumbered. The Persian army assembled to attack and Alexander’s troops began to speak openly of retreat. So he gave an order: "Burn the Boats." He told his men, “we either return home in Persian ships, or we die here.” There would be no turning back.
By burning his boats, Alexander hoped to galvanize and motivate his troops. They needed to fully commit to defeating Darius and the Persians. There was no other way - failure was not an option.
This podcast explores decisions our guests made when they fully committed to something because failure was not an option.
The Team
Ken Harbaugh
Isabel Robertson
Sean Rule-Hoffman
