Are Assholes Good for Business?
Give me a break
Are jerks good for business? This is a question I revisit now and then. High profile entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs are, by all accounts, perceived as assholes. Steve Jobs was, and Elon Musk is. Hard to argue with that. For the Elon fan club out there, Just search around for articles like this in Vanity Fair—you will see your share of examples. I am also reading a biography of John Lennon and learning that he was a first-class dick. Mr. “All You Need is Love” was actually a violent and cruel person.
Yet, a case can be made that the contributions these three have made change the way we live and interact with the world in profoundly positive ways. Right now, I’m listening to background music from my iPhone on my iPhone ear buds, typing on my Apple MacBook Pro. I absolutely love Apple product and will fiercely defend them to those that do not appreciate their elegant, all-in design.
I hear the same thing from Tesla owners and I’m certain there are space engineers that marvel at the breakthrough advances of these new rocket ships made by Space-X that are superior to anything Boeing is making. …And, I’ve always loved the Beatles, the creators of the greatest love song of all time. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of music, Michael Jackson is an unparalleled genius, and a sexual predator freak.
Each of these characters-- Jobs, Musk, Lennon, Jackson are talented geniuses—one in 100 million, maybe 1 in a billion. I’d have to surmise that that average jerk, with average talent, is definitely not good for business. Even a jerk that gets good results. How many people will they burn through and what is their long term sustainability?
What can we learn from this, especially in the context of today’s politically charged red/blue environment? We need to start with the premise that complexity is the baseline of human behavior. In psychology, it is called “dual nature” a recognition that human beings are multifaceted and capable of exhibiting both positive and negative traits.
“Yes, and…” is a phrase I’m hearing more among today’s thought leaders. “Yes, the world is generous, and… the world is cruel and unforgiving.” Kind of like Schroeder’s cat in quantum physics, where the cat is both in the box and out of the box at the same time. The two realities exist side-by-side.
In today’s world, our ability to embrace what Parker Palmer calls, “The Tragic Gap” -- balancing between corrosive cynicism and irrelevant idealism-- keeps us grounded relevant, and ready to move forward in a positive way.
So, back to the question, are jerks good for business? Sure, sometimes, but usually not.
There are numerous examples of successful business leaders that are visionary, inspiring, empathetic, respectful, humble, generous, AND consistently hit their numbers. Some examples—Warren Buffett, Satya Nadella, Richard Branson, Arne Sorenson, Indra Nooya.
Here is a huge advantage to this type of leadership: These leaders make people want to follow them and grow into their own leadership potential. Great leaders make more great leaders. 8.2 billion people in the world—we will take the exceptional jerk, but we sure can use some more good leaders that aren’t.