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Astoria, 2 leadership lessons.

Two leadership lessons I learned from Astoria

Peter Stark’s Astoria tells the story of John Jacob Astor’s doomed 1810 bid to build a fur empire on the Pacific. The adventure is great, but what stuck with me were the two men Astor put in charge: Captain Jonathan Thorn by sea and Wilson Price Hunt by land. They failed in opposite ways and taught the same lesson from both ends.

1. Don’t be a dick (Captain Thorn)

Thorn had the resume: decorated Navy lieutenant, war hero, fearless and decisive. He was also rigid, arrogant, and contemptuous of the people he led. None of it mattered. He insulted a local chief during trade negotiations because he couldn’t be bothered to show basic respect, and the retaliation wiped out his ship and crew. Being brave and being right won’t save you if you treat people like obstacles.

2. Pull the trigger (Wilson Hunt)

Hunt was the opposite. A businessman with no wilderness experience, he led by decency: consensus, shared hardship, respect for the people he met. That humanity held a starving party together through disasters a harder man would have lost. But he could be slow and deferential, waiting for agreement when the moment needed a call. Consensus keeps people with you. It doesn’t make the decision for you.

Thorn and Hunt were each half of a complete leader. Worth reading just for that.