Yesterday I wrote a post about the 4 mistakes we make when evaluating new ideas.
As you can see from the photo above, I am doubling down on that … except instead of talking about new ideas, I’m talking about leadership.
Well, I say talking about it … but what with Bill Gates quote and the post I wrote a few weeks ago that details what I think Bill is talking about, I think it says all I need to say.
But I will leave you with this.
There are some incredible leaders out there.
I’ve been lucky to work for and with a bunch of them.
But I guarantee you the ones who think they are, generally aren’t.
Not because they’re not clever.
Not because they’re not successful.
But because they place greater importance on how they look than those around them.
They believe only they have the answers.
They believe only they know how to write the deck.
They believe only they have the client relationship and trust.
And while that be true in the short term, that approach rarely lasts the distance.
Not just because clients change and business changes … but because you simply can’t keep moving forward if you don’t let new ideas come to the fore.
To push you. To challenge you. To excite you.
But generally these leaders won’t and don’t allow that.
In fact, they will actively reject and eject other views.
Because they think they know it all.
And know it better.
And did it first.
And while many may interpret this as the behaviour of someone fearful of their future – desperately trying to prove some sort of relevance to those around them – they’re wrong.
Because the leader Bill Gates describes in his quote is someone who thinks they’re a master of the Universe. Someone who is always right. Someone who is better than those around them. Someone who is the only one who can make things happen. Someone who holds the keys to everyone’s success.
And maybe for a time they are.
Until that stops.
And that’s when things get really scary.
Which reminds me of something my Dad use to say about how he chose which lawyers to hire:
“The people who need to show how intelligent they are, aren’t.”
Or said another way, the moment you think you can’t lose. You’ve lost.