The Trump in every leader: Bosses must learn how to deal with the egomania that comes with power. (2015)

“Accept that powerful people have a dark side. And adjust your thinking to deal with reality.”

Schumpeter blog,
Economist, 5 September 2015
Illustration: Brett Ryder

“Is there a little bit of Mr Trump in all powerful people? …Academics….find that, once primed for power, even the most reticent people experience significant changes in their behaviour….

“A number of firms have introduced “co-CEOs” to make their leadership less Trump-ety and more democratic; others have replaced all their internal hierarchy with a “holacracy”- a set of overlapping, self-organising teams…..

“Jeffrey Pfeffer of Stanford Business School has much more sensible advice in another new book, “Leadership BS”. Recognise that organisations need hierarchy if they are not to descend into dithering anarchy. Accept that powerful people have a dark side. And adjust your thinking to deal with reality.

“Bosses themselves need to recognise that power can be a poison as well as an aphrodisiac. They should spend as much of their spare time as possible with their families rather than hobnobbing with other powerful people. They ought to establish a relationship with a mentor who is licensed to speak to them frankly: Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook has formed such a bond with Donald Graham, a former publisher of the Washington Post.

“Mr Trump has built a successful career by flouting the rules of good management. Most other people will find that, if they let their inner Trump get out of control, they will end up in the same position as the unsuccessful candidates on his television programme, humiliated and fired.”

Access the full article here: The Trump in every leader