Evolution of a Leadership Reputation
Lord Jeffery Amherst who is reputed to have given blankets contaminated with smallpox to the Native Americans in hopes of wiping him out, thus making him one of history’s first Bio-Terrorists. Regardless of whether that actually happened, Lord Amherst is known to have endorsed the concept and called for the “extirpation” of Native Americans in his own writing. Despite that history, he is admired by many Americans even to this day. His name adorns some great institutions and several towns and counties in the United States and Canada. I highlight his legacy because of his connection to both government and a nonprofit education institution. The second reason I highlight his legacy is that the past can come back to haunt an organization. There are many businesses that have been identified even presently of links to war time actions of their past former leaders and their actions required the companies to make financial arrangements in response in present day value. While today it may be difficult to prove that the wealth of a nonprofit was built upon the funds earned by inappropriate actions of a former leader, just the accusation can cause sufficient financial harm if the assets of a nonprofit are not large enough to weather the furor. It is better to be up front and take action once information is known.
For more history on the evolution of Lord Jeffrey Amherst’s reputation check out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Amherst
