Leaders Born in Darkness

MONTAGE After graduating, he returned to Min- neapolis and once again joined Matt in the OPEN BOOK quirky alt-pop act Trip Shakespeare. The band recorded four albums before breaking up, leaving Wilson and bassist John Munson Leaders Born in to form the more rock-oriented band Semi- sonic. Where Trip Shakespeare’s aesthetic sensibilities skewed toward surreal imag- Darkness ery and elaborate arrangements, Wilson’s writing for Semisonic tended toward serious During a Twitter administration, it and straightforward treatments of can astonish to be reminded that “Early customary pop subjects: love, loss, in his presidency…Lincoln discovered and the travails of the aspiring art- the power of mastering his emotions in ist in the jaws of the music indus- a specific situation carefully enough to try. Semisonic became best known take no immediate action or, in some for their barfly hit “Closing Time,” instances, to do nothing at all.” So ob- which was nominated for a Grammy serves Robison professor of business for Best Rock Song in 1999 and has administration Nancy F. Koehn, who remained a staple of jukeboxes and draws her lessons on leadership from radio stations since. history, giving them a realistic gravity The young Rachel Carson (1940); Since the group’s last studio album (2001’s that theory or contemporary observa- Abraham Lincoln, wearied by the Civil War All About Chemistry), Wilson himself has largely tion often lack. Forged in Crisis: The (1864); and the Endurance in the crushing grip of polar ice stayed out of the spotlight, exchanging the Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbu- jam-packed schedule of a touring band for a lent Times (Scribner, $35) tells the stories of five leaders who came to their roles “in the more stable career in the recording studios midst of a profound personal crisis.” Three of them, in outline, from the introduction: and rehearsal rooms of Los Angeles. In person, it’s easy to see why he’s become so sought- Picture in your mind three snapshots million black Americans held in bondage. after: he radiates a sincerity that makes him from the past. The first is from late 1915. He’s also living with intense personal grief seem immediately trustworthy, someone in Ernest Shackleton, an explorer from following the death of his son Willie four whom you could imagine confiding a secret or Great Britain, and his 27 men are trapped months earlier. In certain moments, Lin- from whom you might seek advice. In conver- on an iceberg off the coast of Antarctica. coln staggers under the weight he carries. sation he is friendly and easygoing, quick to Their ship, the Endurance, has gone down The third image is from the winter of laugh, but also an acute listener—he identifies through the ice, and he and his crew 1961. It’s late at night, and Rachel Carson, the strains of Pure members are marooned a thousand miles a scientist and bestselling author, is alone Prairie League’s from civilization with three lifeboats, in her study, trying to finish a manuscript CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (2) “Amy” over the din canned food, and no means of communi- titled “Silent Spring,” about the dangers of the crowded bar. cating….Shackleton’s mission is some- of widespread pesticide use. Her subject For Wilson, who how…to bring his entire team home is controversial, and she knows that large mentions sulk- safely. But he doesn’t know how he will chemical companies, the U.S. Department pop princeling The do this. At night, when he can’t sleep, he of Agriculture, and other powerful institu- Weeknd in the same slips outside his tent and paces the ice…. tions are poised to make war on her and breath as philoso- Sometimes, he doubts his ability to do the book as soon as it’s published. Despite pher Karl Popper, what he knows he must. the threat, Carson believes deeply in the songwriters share The second snapshot is from the sum- work’s integrity and larger message: that with philosophers and scientists the basic mer of 1862. Abraham Lincoln…is also humankind has an obligation to protect task of trying to understand and describe the uncertain about how he will accomplish the earth and that this obligation involves world. His compositions reflect a profound his purpose: to save the Union in the a sweeping call to citizen awareness and faith in music’s ability to communicate that midst of a civil war. He, too, has trouble action. She writes as carefully as she can, understanding. sleeping and often spends the hours after her work given urgency not only by the This faith is on prominent display on midnight walking up and down the sec- importance of her subject, but also by her Wilson’s new record, Re-Covered, in which ond-floor hall of the White House. The medical situation. For more than a year, he re-imagines some of the pop hits he conflict is going badly for government she has been battling aggressive, metasta- helped shepherd into existence. He assem- armies and is proving much bloodier than sizing cancer.…[I]n certain moments, she bled a band of trusted friends and collabo- anyone could have imagined. The com- doubts she can actually complete her rators who rehearsed for several days before mander in chief knows that slavery is at book and say what must be said. When walking into the studio, where they opted to the heart of the contest. But he’s unsure her anxiety rises, the author walks around record each song live, performing as an en- exactly what to do about the almost four the room, staring out into the darkness. tire group, rather than tracking individual 54 September - October 2017 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746.

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