There is a pathological mismatch between the qualities that seduce us in a leader and those that are needed to be an effective leader. Based on research on the psychology of leadership, Chamorro-Premuzic shows that if leaders were selected on competence rather than confidence, humility rather than charisma, and integrity rather than narcissism, we would not just end up with more competent leaders, but also more women leaders. In fact, he argues, the main obstacle preventing competent women from becoming leaders is the lack of career obstacles for incompetent men. Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is an international authority in psychological profiling, talent management, leadership development, and people analytics. He is the Chief Talent Scientist at Manpower Group, co-founder and CEO of DeeperSignals and Metaprofiling, and Professor of Business Psychology at both University College London, and Columbia University. He has previously held academic positions at New York University and the London School of Economics, and lectured at Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, London Business School, Johns Hopkins, IMD, and INSEAD, as well as being the CEO at Hogan Assessment Systems. Dr. Tomas has published 10 books and over 150 scientific papers, making him one of the most prolific social scientists of his generation. His work has received awards by the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, to which he is a Fellow. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
What Motivates Mitch McConnell?
The Senate majority leader has become one of the few unambiguous winners of the Trump presidency so We look at whether his gains have come with a cost.
.. Over the past decade, the Senate Republican leader has emerged as a skilled legislative warrior, obstructing President Barack Obama’s agenda and enabling President Trump’s. But what does Mitch McConnell himself actually believe in?
.. Background reading:
“McConnell aspires to be not the bloody and maybe tragic hero in a revolutionary drama but one among a short list of undisputed masters of the machinery of American government,” Charles Homans writes his profile of the senator for The New York Times Magazine.
Mr. Homans interviewed Mr. McConnell for several hours over the course of two months, and also spoke to dozens of staff members, senators and cabinet members from the Obama and Trump administrations. Here are six takeaways from his reporting.
- [Paul von Hindenburg]
Government by Bureucrats or Charismatic Leaders
A century ago, during the tumultuous Weimar Republic, Max Weber delivered a lecture titled “Politics as a Vocation”. Democracy in modern nations, he argued, could take one of two forms: rule by bureaucrats acting from self-interest and “living from” politics; or a “leadership democracy” in which a charismatic leader commands a party machine that can mobilise voters. Weber would not have been surprised by the Putins, Orbans and Erdogans of today. His teachings remain eerily relevant
Simon Sinek: Why Leaders Eat Last
In this in-depth talk, ethnographer and leadership expert Simon Sinek reveals the hidden dynamics that inspire leadership and trust. In biological terms, leaders get the first pick of food and other spoils, but at a cost. When danger is present, the group expects the leader to mitigate all threats even at the expense of their personal well-being. Understanding this deep-seated expectation is the key difference between someone who is just an “authority” versus a true “leader.”
(3:33 min)
Who would risk their lives for others so that they may survive?
I asked Johnny Bravo, why would you risk your life so that others may survive.
Because they would have done it for me.
In the military, we give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so they other may gain.
In business we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we many gain.
We have it backwards.
(25:34 min)
Leadership (Alpha) comes at a cost. You see, we expect when danger threatens us from the outside.. we expect them to run towards the danger to protect us. This is what it means to be a leader. The cost of leadership is self-interest. If your not willing to give up your perks when it matters, then you probably shouldn’t be promoted. ..
.. Leadership comes at a cost. You don’t get to do less work. You have to do more work. And the more work you have to do is put yourself at risk to look out for others.
That is the anthropological definition of what a leader is.
This is why we’re so offended by these banker boys who pay themselves astronomical salaries. It has nothing to do with the number.
It has to do with the fact that they have violated a deep-seated social contract.
We know that they made all that money and allowed their people to be sacrificed.
In fact they may have sacrificed their people for the money.
If I told you that we’re going to give 150 million to Nelson Mandela would anyone have a problem with that? Nope. $250 million to mother Teresa, got an issue with it?
Its not the number.
We are deeply and viscerally offended that we allowed them to have this alpha position and they did not fulfill the responsibility of the alpha. They are supposed to sacrifice themselves for us, never sacrifice us for themselves.. This is why we are angry and offended and don’t trust them. They fail.