Can BAD People Be Good Leaders?

When Tom was fired from his CEO position there were lots of heads shaking side to side wondering what happened.

Tom was a charismatic kind of guy who was always telling funny jokes and encouraging everyone to do the best they could do. He was both cheerleader and coach.

So what happened?

Let’s face it. Business can be brutal at the top rungs. The rules of the jungle often apply and if it is eat or be eaten…well the answer is obvious.

While Tom was seen as a ‘good guy’ by most of the world, in the inner sanctum of senior leadership he was known to bully, intimidate and often twist the truth. He wanted success and his non-verbal mantra was ‘success at any cost.’

How did it happen?

Tom started to meet with a few shady characters who saw his yearning for power and prestige and just like the charlatans from days of yore, who told that egotistical emperor that they would design a cape so beautiful only the pure of heart could see it, these folks sold Tom a bill of goods about products that were destined to fall apart too soon.

The fall from grace.

Tom would not listen. He made bad decisions and while the company was making money faster than anyone ever dreamed, the cribs for small children, poorly designed to save money, were causing tragedies to occur.

You have to go upriver far enough to see where problems begin. Tom’s bloated pride and disdain for others who did not agree finally brought him down and cost the company a bundle.

Too much ego and not enough humility.

We hear that story over and over. Eventually, those who are in positions of power for all the wrong reasons tumble and fall. It has been ever this way.

My question is: how can we do a better job of vetting those in leadership positions by looking past charisma and intellectual capabilities to find the deep moral compass that includes pragmatism coupled with integrity?