The Idea in Brief
You know them—those bold, high-flying managers and executives who dazzle everyone with daring and flair, only to commit stunning acts of folly just when they seem to have it all.
Why do so many leaders display remarkable adroitness while courting power—but crash and burn once they’ve secured it? The pursuit of power changes people in profound ways. To get to the top, people often feel compelled to jettison the same attitudes and behaviors—such as modesty, prudence, and self-restraint—that they’ll need for survival once they’ve achieved the apex.
But not all successful executives fall victim to the genius-to-folly syndrome. Those who make it to the top—and stay there peacefully—all share a remarkable sense of proportion and a high degree of self-awareness, despite widely different personalities and management styles. Their secret? Powerfully modest habits of mind and behavior.
The Idea in Practice
The Genius-to-Folly Syndrome
Four attitudes and behaviors mark the genius-to-folly syndrome:
Winner wants all. In intensely competitive professional arenas, a few winners usually enjoy the lion’s share of the spoils. These “winner-takes-all” competitions create a “winner-wants-all” mind-set. Often aggressive risk-takers, victors view introspection and moderation as antithetical to success.
Rules are for fools. Winner-takes-all contestants believe they must bend or break rules to succeed—for example, finding a back door to power that others haven’t spotted. They often disdain rules and those who follow them.
A hefty price tag. To acquire power, leaders often make painful trade-offs—such as abandoning their families to rise professionally. Such sacrifices make power’s pleasures a heady brew. The trappings of power expand winners’ already overinflated self-image, creating potentially fatal overconfidence. And power becomes “just desserts” for having paid dearly for success.
The sins of omission. Distracted by new temptations, new leaders often spend less time monitoring their environments and others’ thoughts and actions—especially those of their critics. Close subordinates behave ingratiatingly to protect their own jobs, further reinforcing these leaders’ distorted self-image.
Five Habits for Staying on Top
Five values and behaviors are vital to remaining successful at the top:
Keep your life simple. Remain “awfully ordinary” despite power and wealth. Today, Warren Buffett lives just as he did 30 years ago. Stay in touch with yourself and other ordinary people—including customers and employees. Cultivate humility, viewing your accomplishments with detachment. Remind yourself of what really matters in life.
Hang a lantern on your foibles. To understand them better, shine a light on your weaknesses. Acknowledge them to others—you’ll discourage people from punishing you too much for them. Use humor to illuminate your flaws; it communicates vulnerability while indicating you’re still in control.
Float balloons. Check and recheck information you receive, and review your assumptions about it. If you have doubts about advisers’ feedback, float wild ideas to employees—you’ll uncover the truth and prepare yourself for the unexpected.
Sweat the small stuff. Sometimes a small misstep can derail you from the fast track. Resist those exhorting you not to sweat the small stuff. In business, you do need to worry about what lies ahead—to anticipate what might go wrong.
Reflect more, not less. Mirroring our culture’s preference for action over reflection, many fallen leaders have little understanding of themselves. Just as you read others brilliantly, watch for genius-to-folly tendencies within yourself.
The past decade may well be remembered as the era of the bold, high-flying, “sky’s the limit” leader. Throughout the 1990s, our society seemed to have a fetish for aggressive chiefs like Enron’s Kenneth Lay, Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski, and WorldCom’s Bernard Ebbers. These corner-office titans graced the covers of business magazines, and the public seemed fascinated with their willingness to flaunt the rules and break from the corporate herd with incredible daring and flair. But like Icarus, they flew too high. Scandal set in, and these once feted and envied leaders found themselves falling hard and fast. Other admired leaders—not just in business but also in politics, religion, and the media—are finding themselves in a similar free fall. One moment they are masters of their domain. The next they are on the pavement looking up, wondering where it all went wrong.
