Be Aware of the Leadership Literature

Leaders touting their own careers as models to be emulated frequently gloss over the power plays they used to get to the top
• they usually mention how hardworking they were
• How great of a decision maker they are
• How rational they are etc


Jim Collins : the highest level of executive is level 5 executive “good to great”
• help in to take companies up the performance curve
• Individuals who are “self-effecting, quiet, reserved even shy”


Most CEOs are not level 5 leaders


For most leaders , the path to power bears littler resemblance to the advice being dished out




The problem
• 1) the CEOs loves to write books about themselves —>self-presentation
◦ Telling people what they want to hear
◦ Come out to be noble and good
◦ This ability to self present, is probably why they get to the high level anyway
• 2)people in leadership get to put out positive images that leads to the belief that the world is a just place



So don’t automatically buy into advice from leaders
• it could be accurate
• It could be self-serving as well


YOU SHOULD TRUST YOUR OWN EXPERTISE
• figure out people around you, why they are doing well, not well etc
• Build your own diagnostic skill
• Become an organization survivor