No Executive is Perfect

There’s a relatively bright line between two types of leaders that I look for when I consider new clients: those concerned primarily with their vanity versus those concerned with developing a vision.

Those who think it’s primarily about what the company can do for them and the benefits that they receive often brag about who they were with at dinner with last night, how they “won” their last negotiation and how they single-handedly “saved the day” in the recent hiccup that befell their company. (I’m not writing a political blog, but I leave inferences to you.)

Those more concerned with vision versus vanity are different animals. They’re outwardly focused; customers and co-workers are their primary emphasis. They say that they were lucky to have such a great team in order to climb the big hill. The fruits of their labor may be evident, but they’re quick to acknowledge others, realize that they must work in service of their customers, and know that success and status are earned, not bestowed. (Speaking of inferences, a leader with the wrong vision, e.g., many populist messages, is just as dangerous as a vanity-driven leader.)

As French author and nobleman François de La Rochefoucauld said, “Great men have great faults.” No executive is perfect. Short of Mother Teresa on one end and Saddam Hussein on the other, none of us is either all good or all bad, either completely saint or sinner.

Give me a man or woman with a vision, and I’ll show you someone with a chance for the team to win. However, give me a vanity-driven leader and … well … (to paraphrase Henny Youngman): On second thought, please don’t!

Can you coach someone without a vision to help him or her articulate one? Yes, I believe so. Can you coach someone primarily concerned with his or her own vanity to care? It’s extremely difficult without using a baseball bat. They’ll most likely go through their life with this affliction or have such a frightening event (something like Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”) that they see the light.

The scenario that breaks my heart is when a vision-driven leader allows himself or herself to become ensnared by the trappings of wealth and power and becomes vanity-driven. The key word in that last sentence is “allows.”

Todd Ordal

 coaches CEOs to higher levels of success. He is a former CEO and has led teams as large as 7,000 people. Todd is the author of, Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day: Real Lessons for Real CEOs and Those Who Want To Be  (Morgan James Publishing).

Connect with Todd on LinkedIn, Twitter, call 303-527-0417 or email [email protected].

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