The buffoons we admire
"Don't let this stuff overwhelm you, the Army is run by idiots." My first company commander shared that with me in 1991. He was partially joking. There were some great Army leaders above us, but also, like any organization, some lunkheads. He was using that line to ease my mind as I took command of my first platoon. My line today is, "There are some real buffoons running businesses. Many of them are sitting on top of millions or billions of dollars." I use it when coaching a leader lacking confidence, intimidated by his or her leadership and when promoting entrepreneurship.
I too, was intimidated by leaders I met who were on top of large enterprises, making healthy 6-figure salaries with stock options and all the benefits. You know, the ones who dominate the front pages of business journals and who occupy the stage at business events. Then I met a few. There were indeed, many who were very smart and very good leaders who genuinely cared for their people. Then there were others, more interested in building monetarily successful companies agnostic of company culture, healthy work environments, and care of people. Lastly there were leaders who were highly intelligent yet, "couldn't lead a hungry squad to a snack bar" (another line from my first company commander). I placed them in the buffoon group.
It's not my thing to bash leaders constantly but there is truth to what I state above, and it ought to comfort younger leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs. Even at the highest levels of a company, leaders struggle with how to know, care for, and influence people. I've been in the rooms with these folks and their concerns are elementary. They are human like all of us. They too were once young leaders. Some made it to the top because of their intelligence, work ethic and performance. Others made it because they blended leadership with intelligence and hard work. My hope is they made it due to the latter but it is not always true. It is why we have nearly 70% of all employees disengaged from work (Gallup).
Each of us has the potential to serve at the highest level of a company. If we can overcome our fear and know that leadership, even at the top, is not rocket science, we can move forward with confidence. The next time you see an executive on a stage (likely only put there because of their income) talking about leadership, think about this blog. You might just be listening to a buffoon!
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Rob
Rob Campbell