Learning From History’s Unseen Leaders With Martin Gutmann

Succession planning is an integral component of an organization's talent management strategy, but HR leaders are often unsure if they’re identifying the best-suited candidates for succession pipelines. 

Martin Gutmann, a professor at the Lucerne School of Business in Switzerland and the author of “The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership,” offers a solution to succession planning uncertainty by looking to leaders of the past.

Martin describes historical leaders, ranging from well-known figures to those less recognized, and examines the qualities that made them exemplary leaders in their respective eras. He explains the risks of prioritizing individuals who excel at managing crises and potentially overlooking those who preemptively mitigate issues.

Martin Gutmann is an author, speaker and scholar interested in how the past can illuminate today's most pressing challenges. He is a professor at the Lucerne School of Business in Switzerland and the best-selling author of “The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership.” His writing and thought leadership pieces have been published in various platforms and magazines, such as Forbes, Big Think, Fast Company, and Minutehack. Martin holds a Ph.D. in history from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Spain, and higher education teacher’s training from Harvard University and ETH Zurich.

Caroline Walsh is a managing vice president in Gartner’s HR practice. Her teams help HR leaders build and execute talent, diversity, rewards, and learning strategies and programs. Caroline has also led Gartner research teams on commercial banking strategy and leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies from Columbia University, and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University.