Beware the leader too smart to be wise. What is a Diminisher? Author and consultant Liz Wiseman’s book, Multipliers, features two distinct and contrasting types of leaders; multipliers and diminishers. Multipliers are strong and capable leaders in their own right, but they use their talent and organizational power to access and leverage (multiply) the strength and talent […]
Were you able to read our recent information on The Wooddenheaded Affliction in leadership? If not, take a minute to read it here, and then read below to learn about the Woodenheaded Affliction in action. A tragic example. General Douglas Haig is a tragic example of what can happen when a top leader afflicted by […]
The greatest of sins is to be conscious of none.” Introduction. What is Woodenheadedness? In The March of Folly: From Troy to Viet Nam, historian Barbara Tuchman describes human history as the “unfolding of miscalculation,” a litany of failure, mismanagement and delusion in the pursuit of disastrous national and organizational policies. She explores four historic […]
Reality-Editing Leaders We hope you have been following along in our series of The Impact of Reality-Editing Leaders. If you have not had a chance to read Part I, do so now, prior to reading this conclusion. Strategies of Reality-Editing Leaders 1st The first strategy is the generation of a “reality distortion field.” Among his many […]
Human kind cannot bear very much reality.” —T. S. Eliot What is Reality Editing? Reality editing is the process of reframing, reconfiguring or “spinning” the “facts” such that they support a plausible, attractive but highly selective narrative, which, predictably, features the leader at the center of the narrative, always in control, always right, and above […]
In our previous blog, we discussed how toxic leaders operate in a world of scarcity, thinking he or she is in constant danger of lacking scarce, precious resources like power, recognition or affirmation, creating self-centeredness. We also discussed how the toxic leader afflicts the organization. If you haven’t had chance to read The Toxic Affliction, […]
Nothing grows under the giant banyan tree.” —Indian proverb Introduction: When Plants Compete We don’t think of plants as competitive in the same way as animals or people. But, it may surprise you that the quest for scarce, precious resources is just as much a part of the plant kingdom as the animal kingdom. Plants […]
Continuing our discussion about The Alpha Affliction, we recall that afflicted top leaders -those lacking emotional maturity and prone to destructive narcissism- use their personal and organizational assets to afflict, rather than serve the interests of the organization. For the alpha, leadership is all about them – their vision, talent and goals. They pursue their […]
We’ve all heard of the Alpha Male. It may not surprise you to discover that about 70% of senior business executives are alpha males. What may surprise you is what alpha males can can do to your organization, if left to their own devises. Yes, the lion will one day lay down with the lamb, […]
Jumping right back into the fuel of leadership affliction, we are finishing our discussion on unchecked power. No, the mere possession of power does not necessarily lead to its abuse. While power doesn’t necessarily corrupt, it does, to Barber’s point, reveal the contours of a leader’s character. Lincoln observed, Nearly all men can stand adversity, […]
