This article in the Harvard Business Review begins a discussion on how leaders self-destruct as they reach the pinnacle of their careers. A disregarding of rules, a flaunting of regulation, and selfish behavior are revered rather then discouraged. Kramer, the author, does go on to mention that leaders that stay in their position often portray the exact opposite of behaviors. They are humble, work towards the truth, and keep their lives simple. This post will briefly discuss my take on the subject as as well as, hopefully, provide some insight into daily dilemmas.
Recent work has led to the conclusion that narcissists make better leaders; just not too much. Narcissism has self-confidence as one of its defining traits. An over-abundance of narcissism and self-confidence is a pathological condition that is typically viewed negatively. However, I think as a society we have elevated the corporate raider, the narcissist, to a coveted status. This may be because as a culture we have decided to value selfish behavior over altruistic behavior. This can be seen in everything from the financial crisis of 2008 to election of self-professed Ayn Rand acolytes for whom selfishness is a moral virtue. The point of this isn't to devolve into a deconstruction of objectivism but rather point out that altruism and concern for the many has fallen out of favor. Combine this with a narcissistic personality and you have a recipe for disaster. It's been seen time and again from Enron to Bank of America. I view the problem as a cultural flaw rather than a select few "bad apples" ruining it for everyone. If it were only a select few the problem would be self-correcting. I am realistic enough to know that on all ends of the spectrum people will take advantage of the system. Altruism, in its purest form, pretty much sets itself up to be taken advantage of. However, when is the last time a bunch of folks on welfare crashed the national economy and sent millions into unemployment?
This brings me to my larger point and the insight that I use to guide my decisions. With a greater responsibility comes a greater moral imperative to behave in an ethical fashion. The more people I am able to hurt with a choice, the greater the need to ensure that choice is as ethical as possible. There are times when there are no "good" choices in a situation but there should always be a need to minimize any harm done. I aspire to leadership roles and in self-disclosure I probably score somewhere on the narcissism scale. However, I refuse to let pure self-interest guide my direction. I now care for several patients and I while I cannot always make choices that make them happy I can make choices that minimize their harm or attempt to provide a greater good. I carry this over into my personal life as well. I think we have a responsibility to each other.
The temptations that come with increased personal power are numerous. I feel it is important to establish firm ethical guidelines early in my career. As I learn more about leadership and experience real-world stressors I am open to examining those guidelines with an eye towards improvement. I believe self-awareness is one of the most important traits a leader can posses. I am not so naive to think I am the first young leader to write a review of their ethical guidelines, I do think that I can establish positive ethical habits that will serve me well into the future. I steadfastly reject the notion that selfish behavior somehow increases the health of the group.
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