A Leadership Kick in the Ass (Book) - 11/22/2016 6:55:33 AM
I can see why you had a need to write this book. I think it would apply to some of the so-called leaders that I've known in recent years since the role of leadership has changed from benign stewardship to money focused ego trips. That's why I fear for our country because one of the largest money focused egos out there is now at the helm of the United States. I hope he will learn your lesson quickly like Arnold Schwarzenegger did or we may be making some big mistakes in regard to other countries and even in regard to our own people.
Born the dominant twin, I was a natural leader and took responsibility for my actions by the time I was 10. I never led by exclusion (keeping only the best around me) but by inclusion. I often had the poorest performers on my team but I worked to bring out their best performance they were capable of. Although I found myself superior in many things there was always someone else around that was better and that kept me humble. I can't recall ever having a big ego, although some may have thought I did. I certainly was a very good follower, sometimes by challenging the leader of our group at the time and making them perform even better as a result.
Like you, I love high diving. But an underwater swimming accident when I was a junior in high school (a classmate jumped on my neck) fracturing a vertebrae (I wasn't told by the doctor who x-rayed me) and damaging some discs led to spinal surgery C4-6 when I was a junior in college at 20, 54 years ago. An anesthesia overdose on the operating table caused the surgery to fail and I was left with upper body paralysis, mostly my hands and arms with atrophy and losing my triceps. When I dove after that, I had to put my arms at my sides or my hands would slap me in the face when I hit the water with my hands out in front. My legs were still quite strong, so swimming, especially underwater, was not a problem.
But the perception of my ability had changed and leadership opportunities became quite rare even though I excelled in graduate school (except in engineering MS at Stanford where I ran into too much theoretical mathematics). Still, I had many mentors who were very good leaders in those days and opportunities opened up for me as a result. In the latter years as my condition deteriorated and I had to go into an electric wheelchair 25 years ago, the weak leaders who became my superiors who seem to operate under reading Machiavelli rather than authors like you started to make my life miserable. Now I'm retired, writing and managing my three employees who take care of me very well. I'm still a softy when it comes to management, but I think it is best not to beat people up for inadequacies that they inherited but try to make them the best they can be.
Because of my honesty and ability to do numbers, I was made Treasurer in several organizations. But regardless of your position, you will always be a Treasurer… Groan… I know you've heard it before… ;-)
Ron
