"It convinces a leader that valid criticism regarding culture, ethics, or burnout isn’t “feedback”—it’s just “noise” from people who want to see you fail.
It allows them to act like tyrants because it categorizes all dissent as “hating.”
THIS PART. I think performance has been an excuse for lack of empathy and lack of thoughtful people leadership for a long time and still shows up.
Money quote: "Being the hardest worker in the room buys you success. It does not buy you a pass on basic human decency."
I could not agree more. A significant proportion of institutional leaders are insecure and/or incompetent. The Peter Principle - the idea that people tend to be promoted one step beyond their actual ability - is real. Just because you're a great individual contributor doesn't mean you're going to be a great leader of individual contributors
I think that's a significant element of what you've described in this article and it's easy for human beings who don't feel like good leaders to latch onto dissociative behavior as a crutch, especially when results at all costs are lauded.
Not sure how you found your way to my inbox … but I’m glad you did. Great piece.
Thank you Justin. This article was uncomfortable to write. As for your inbox, ideally you subscribed — I don’t add lists or spam folks (I hope)
"It convinces a leader that valid criticism regarding culture, ethics, or burnout isn’t “feedback”—it’s just “noise” from people who want to see you fail.
It allows them to act like tyrants because it categorizes all dissent as “hating.”
THIS PART. I think performance has been an excuse for lack of empathy and lack of thoughtful people leadership for a long time and still shows up.
And in our capitalist first society, we honor the dollar over the person.
Money quote: "Being the hardest worker in the room buys you success. It does not buy you a pass on basic human decency."
I could not agree more. A significant proportion of institutional leaders are insecure and/or incompetent. The Peter Principle - the idea that people tend to be promoted one step beyond their actual ability - is real. Just because you're a great individual contributor doesn't mean you're going to be a great leader of individual contributors
I think that's a significant element of what you've described in this article and it's easy for human beings who don't feel like good leaders to latch onto dissociative behavior as a crutch, especially when results at all costs are lauded.
Thank you for taking a moment to comment PBI. I always appreciate your thoughtful insight and support.
To be honest, this article made me feel uncomfortable to write, which meant that I had to figure it out.
Sounds like I hit a nerve in the right way with the personal DMs I’m getting about it.
More ICs need paths for success. It shouldn’t be leadership or bust.