The Likability Game
BusinessWeek suggests that there are a lot of CEO-types who have recently gone on the "charm offensive" -- and asks, why are CEOs "suddenly so eager to be loved?" It appears that the strutting CEO is so yesterday. Gone is the bravado; the hubris; the boorish behaviour. In is humility; sense of humour; listening; and authenticity. It appears that CEOs now want to be nice guys -- and let's face it, the assholes of yesterday, were mostly men. Why the change?
Well, for starters, they had it coming. They lived like rockstars for a while -- getting paid like them, and behaved like them. That was OK when they were adding shareholder value -- but then the bad ones got worse. They started to steal from the hands that fed them -- and the mouths of those who toiled endlessly to afford them the rockstar status. They made decisions with total disregard for the environment or the societies they operated in. They in effect replaced state-sponsored colonialism of long ago, with business-sponsored colonialism. As the movie, the Corporation puts it, they in effect created a "psychopath" of their business. CEOs could only go on being evil for so long before it backfired.
What's changing now? They sly devils that they are, are on a "charm offensive." Their thinking may not have changed, but they're starting to see the value in being nice guys, even while they continue the psychopathic behaviour in private.
OK, I'm a little cynical. There are those that are genuine -- that actually are turning over a new leaf. Regardless of the motivations however, there are benefits for the environment, society and the businesses that CEOs lead. Doing the right thing does actually pay. Maybe not as much as being a total bastard -- but there's only so long you can get away with being a bastard. Eventually, you run the risk of losing your turn and heading straight to jail. Just ask Enron's Lay.
Related reading:
Source: Harvard Business Review.
Well, for starters, they had it coming. They lived like rockstars for a while -- getting paid like them, and behaved like them. That was OK when they were adding shareholder value -- but then the bad ones got worse. They started to steal from the hands that fed them -- and the mouths of those who toiled endlessly to afford them the rockstar status. They made decisions with total disregard for the environment or the societies they operated in. They in effect replaced state-sponsored colonialism of long ago, with business-sponsored colonialism. As the movie, the Corporation puts it, they in effect created a "psychopath" of their business. CEOs could only go on being evil for so long before it backfired.
What's changing now? They sly devils that they are, are on a "charm offensive." Their thinking may not have changed, but they're starting to see the value in being nice guys, even while they continue the psychopathic behaviour in private.
OK, I'm a little cynical. There are those that are genuine -- that actually are turning over a new leaf. Regardless of the motivations however, there are benefits for the environment, society and the businesses that CEOs lead. Doing the right thing does actually pay. Maybe not as much as being a total bastard -- but there's only so long you can get away with being a bastard. Eventually, you run the risk of losing your turn and heading straight to jail. Just ask Enron's Lay.
Related reading:
- Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools, and the Formation of Social Networks [PDF] -- Harvard Business Review
- Another reason to be nice: It'll get you far in the job [PDF] -- USA Today
- Women and Men's Nonverbal Behavior and Self-Monitoring in a Job Interview Setting [PDF] -- Applied HRM Research
Source: Harvard Business Review.
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