Page 183 - The extraordinary leader

160 • The Extraordinary Leader

connecting with people, and not exerting energy to make things happen. It
could be summed up as complacency and general apathy. These are the
people who are perceived as lukewarm and “blah” because they are not effec-
tive in making things happen.
Third, the fatal flaws are not intellectual deficiencies, but much more on
the “emotional intelligence” or interpersonal side of the equation. These flaws
arise from emotional and behavioral dimensions and seldom from a dirth of
knowledge or technical incompetence. The person with these fatal flaws basi-
cally lacks the ability or discipline to initiate or get things going. In nearly
every case, a serious effort to remedy that deficiency would result in some
significant changes for the better.
One of the authors worked with a vice president of administration who had
been responsible for all maintenance, new construction, personnel, public
relations, and purchasing. He was a tyrannical leader and lacked effective
interpersonal skills. His were the only “good ideas,” and no one made sug-
gestions for improvements because they were certain they would be “shot
down.” People inside his areas often talked about “Don’t rock the boat.” The
result was the lack of any new initiatives.
One fascinating but tragic consequence was the devastating impact this
person had on each of five subordinates. None was ever promoted. They had
been so smothered by his leadership that they became incapable of taking ini-
tiative or embracing new ideas from other sources.
After the termination of the vice president and despite a new leader with
a totally different approach, over the next two years each of the directors who
reported to him ultimately resigned under some pressure or was terminated.
They never recovered from their experience of working under this tyrant. This
is the impact of leaders with fatal flaws, and this example illustrates how fatal
flaws often go together and amplify each other.

Fixing Fatal Flaws. If a leader possesses one or more of these characteris-
tics, action should obviously be taken to remedy that deficiency, make that
weakness irrelevant, or to move that person back into a role of being an indi-
vidual contributor where that behavior is less necessary. (In fact, however,
those ten fatal flaws will also stand in the way of the “professional, individual
contributor” being highly effective in the long run.)
People can overcome these characteristics. First, the organization can
ensure that the person knows he possesses one of these “fatal flaws” and the
serious consequences this will have on his career. If the person is willing to
change, he can often make significant contributions to the organization.