dothesums blog

Link: http://www.dothesums.co.uk/blog

This weekend I spent an enjoyable Saturday afternoon attending Radio 3's 'free thinking festival', at the Sage, Gateshead.

I found the presentation 'Narcissism and Leadership' by Mike Brearley, former England cricket captain, both thought provoking and reassuring.
Summarising, he warned of the dangers of the leader's ego and his/her tendency to take action and make decisions, for their impact on others, rather than a substantive effect. His thesis is that 'anyone in a position of responsibility has to be wary of the wish to be admired'. Brearley is well known for his modest life style and feet on the ground approach to work and business.

This sat well with a BBC2 programme later in the week, presented by Evan Davies, on Warren Buffet.
It is well reported that despite being worth forty billion dollars, he still lives in the house he and his first wife bought more than fifty years ago in Omaha, Nebraska, it is not even the biggest house in the street. He drives a discounted car and works in a modest office in a small office block. He eats in the same diner that he has patronised for decades. He attributes some of his success to luck. What he does, he does well and over a long period. He is eighty years old and his business partner is eighty five.

In a post-modern world can such principles survive? In the sense of working on substance rather than image, we think it can. Leaders need to take satisfaction in the achievement of those they lead, rather than the own self aggrandisement and self promotion.

We are attempting our own version of building a 'Douglas McGregor Theory Y' organisation along similar lines, because it is effective as well as being the right thing to do.

To be continued.