Lading in the Darkness and the Light

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What risks did President Piñera face in launching a rescue despite the low chances of success?
The president faced several risks in order to rescue the miners. For instance, he put the lives of other people to risk when he allowed them to participate in rescuing the lives of the miners even though he had been told that there was only 10% chance of the miners to be alive and later it went below 2%. The rescue was also risky since the people who got involved in the rescuing could hurt the miners while trying to help them. It was also risky since the mining place was very deep and therefore it could result in more danger.
How did the miners demonstrate transformational leadership? Servant leadership? Authentic leadership?
The miners showed that they had transformational leadership since they were able to motivate each other; they were innovative and fostered creativity among themselves. According to servant leadership, the miners worked as a team without being followed by anybody, and they were determined towards their goals. In terms of the authentic leadership, some miners took the responsibilities to perform some tasks among the group such as being preachers, the creation of humor among others. These leadership styles they portrayed helped them stay alive during the hard times.
How did the Chilean president, mining minister, and drilling supervisor act as transformational leaders? As servant leaders? As authentic leaders? As benevolent, paternalistic leaders?
The three officials acted as transformational leaders since they were involved in the preparation and the execution of the miners whose lives were endangered.

As a servant, the president and the other officials were involved in looking for the miners as if they were their own sons. The three leaders also used their capacity and powers to ensure that the rescue the miners even though the percentage of finding them alive was very slim. The leaders in conjunction with the rescue team tried so hard that the miners were provided with the necessary basic needs like food, water, and medication before they were executed.
What factors might have prevented Chilean leaders from building on the goodwill generated by the rescue to improve mine safety and build a more just society?
One of the possible factors is corruption. The government might be corrupt, and therefore they might not be willing to improve the mine safety since they view it as a waste of resources. The other factor is negligence; the individuals might not understand what the miners are going through bring forth the minerals.
What are society’s long-term obligations to victims of disaster like the one in Chile?
The obligations of the society are to ensure that the victims recover from the trauma might be going through after the incidence. And also it the society’s obligation that victims are provided with better basic needs until they are able to take care of themselves. And finally, they ensure that the victims don’t get involved in such disasters by improving their working conditions. The victims should also be provided with constant counseling.
What did you learn from this case that you can apply as a manager or supervisor?
I have learned to be positive as a leader just like the president was towards the lives of the miners. As a manager, I should value the lives of my subordinates and not abandon them when they need my help. And also I have learned that there are ever obstacles that normally come to our ways when fighting for our success and therefore, we should remain steadfast to our goals.