1. Would you describe Greg Mortenson as an authentic leader? Explain your answer.
2. In the chapter, we discussed moral reasoning and transparency as components of authentic leadership. Do you think Greg exhibited these components as part of his leadership?
3. How was Greg's response to the allegations against him characteristic of an authentic leader?
This case study portrays Greg Mortenson, the subject of two best-selling books, Three Cups of Tea (2006) and Stones into Schools (2009). Lost and sick after attempting to scale K2, Greg was nursed back to health by the villagers of remote Korphe, Afghanistan, and promised to build the village a school. He did so, and his success led him to create the Central Asia Institute (CAI), a nonprofit organization that "empowers communities of Central Asia through literacy and education, especially for girls, promotes peace through education, and conveys the importance of these activities globally."
The CAI built over 170 schools and helped educate more than 160,000 students. Unfortunately, Greg's story was challenged publicly for including fabrications. As well, he was charged with improperly using CAI funding for his own advantage. Greg did little to respond to these accusations. He stated that the media painted a "distorted picture" of the situation but did not aggressively defend himself or the CAI. Many did not know, however, that Greg was battling heart issues at the time of the accusations.
Greg was extremely successful raising funds and building schools in Central Asia.