The Four Mirrors of Al Dunlap: Ego, Stardom, and the Yardstick of Worth

This article, The Four Mirrors of Al Dunlap: Ego, Stardom, and the Yardstick of Worth, reframes the story of corporate icon Al Dunlap through psychological insight, financial analysis, and narrative storytelling. Blending the lens of Carol Dweck’s mindset theory with forensic corporate history, it explores how ego, speed, and image construction shaped Dunlap’s leadership—and legacy.

Through the metaphor of “four mirrors,” the article examines his rise and fall at Sunbeam, revealing how performance was crafted, how fraud was rationalized, and how empires were built not on innovation but on applause. Dialogue between a professor and his son (Selene) serves as a narrative device, while the recurring characters Artista and Organum provide poetic reflections on ethics and power.

This paper contributes to the literature by offering a multidisciplinary approach to leadership failure—merging behavioral psychology, corporate finance, and moral inquiry in an accessible and emotionally resonant form.