What makes a leader terrible: disastrous decisions, cruelty, corruption—or the refusal to admit they’re wrong? Can someone achieve impressive results and still deserve a dishonourable place in history? Join Adam, a politics and history expert, for the counterpart to his previous discussion on what makes a great leader (you don't need to have joined that one to enjoy this one). This time, we’ll explore world leaders across history, examine their choices and consequences, and debate whether they’ve truly earned the title of “terrible leader”. How much blame belongs to one person, and how much to the people and systems that kept them in power?

Together, we’ll compare failures, question reputations and discuss how we distinguish an unpopular leader from a genuinely destructive one. Does intention matter when the outcome is catastrophic? Can a leader be terrible for some people and admired by others—and what should we make of that? You’re welcome to suggest your own candidates and explain your reasoning. No knowledge of politics or history, or attendance at the earlier club, is necessary: Adam will introduce the background so everyone can join in. Expect lively disagreements, surprising historical stories and a smart, spirited conversation about leadership gone wrong.

什么让一个领导特别糟糕：灾难性的决定、残忍、腐败——还是死不认错？一个人能不能既做出了很亮眼的成绩，又还是该在历史上留个不光彩的位置？跟着 Adam 来聊一场讨论吧。他是政治和历史专家。这次是他之前那场“什么让一个领导伟大”的对应场（没参加过那场也完全能享受这场）。这次我们会看历史上一些世界领导人，看看他们的选择和后果，也会辩一辩他们到底配不配“糟糕领导”这个称号。多少锅该由一个人背，又有多少该由那些让他一直掌权的人和制度来背？

我们会一起比较各种失败、质疑那些名声，也会讨论怎么把一个不受欢迎的领导和真正有破坏性的领导区分开。当结果是灾难性的时候，意图还重要吗？一个领导可能对一些人来说很糟糕，却被另一些人敬佩——这又该怎么看？欢迎你提出自己的人选，说说你的理由。不需要任何政治或历史知识，也不用参加过之前那场：Adam 会介绍背景，让每个人都能加入。会有热闹的意见不合、让人意外的历史故事，还有一场聪明又有劲的聊天，聊领导力是怎么跑偏的。