BUILT TO LAG

I amazed at how often the principles of BUILT TO LEAD are met with skepticism. Sometimes even with fear and loathing by some who miss the point entirely.

Usually we meet this skepticism in the lofty suites and hallways of large institutions, but not always. We find it lots of places. Most of the misunderstanding surrounds how “spiritual” BUILT TO LEAD seems, and how difficult and lengthy a process it is. As if leadership and self-management issues weren’t deficits of the spirit to begin with. As if there were a magic “leadership pill” to swallow.

I’ve been “noodling” what to do about it. I almost decided the other day that nothing can be done about it except, possibly, to accept that our kind of mastery is not for everyone…

But that path seemed too easy.

Then this thought came to me: how about a “compare and contrast” approach?

And so, in the hope that I’ll clarify what BUILT TO LEAD is trying hard NOT to do, I present The 12 Essentials of Personal Mediocrity:

1. Build Your Image: This is where our personal path to mediocrity starts. It’s Real. Easy. To Do. Simply look around for a decently impressive persona to adopt. You know, a facade that convinces everyone that we have it all together, especially those we report to. We’ll spend our days buffing that image to a high shine, so that it can reflect our inner-focused, other controlling selves…just like a mirror.

2. Build Your Fears: Fear, one of the great human motivators, serves us well if we just practice enough. It’s important to stoke our fears of falling behind others in the quest for more stuff, more experiences, and more power. That’ll keep us motivated. Those who have mastered that move on to the advanced level–building fear in others, especially our families and teams at work. Let’s keep ’em on their toes by randomly berating someone in public or, better still, firing them for disloyalty to us.

3. Build Your Ego: This is a byproduct of mastering our image. Lesser people simply mask their inadequacies to fool others, but since we have none, we must focus on advanced practice to control others. This includes unpredictable outbursts of anger, entertaining episodes of contempt for others’ opinions, and fascinating public reviews of our own personal accomplishments, for which we’ll take all the credit we naturally deserve.

4. Build Your Self-Indulgence: What better way to celebrate our labors and accomplishments each day than with a cocktail or two, followed by a big steak dinner with all the trimmings and a bottle of the finest from the cellar, that irresistible dessert, and a cigar? Go ahead, we’ve earned it!

5. Build Your Seat Size: Hey, the effects of those big business dinners can be offset with a bigger chair for that big desk we deserve, if the need arises. Besides, there’s no time for exercise. We gotta get back to work!

6. Build Your People Management Skills: Some refer to this skill as “manipulation” but we prefer the tidy term “motivation.” After all, isn’t this the duty we assumed when we were given our hierarchical leadership positions? We’ve got to get people to do what we want. Carrots when the budget allows, sticks when it’s tight, unkept promises at all other times.

7. Build Your Realism: Optimists are fools; pessimists are a drag. It’s best to be realistic. “Stuff” happens. The real skill is to react quickly when that stuff hits the fan and be somewhere else, so someone else takes the *hit*.

8. Build Your Commitment to Earn: If we’re not making 6 or 7 times our age by the time we hit 40, we’re falling behind. One of the top skills of positional leadership is moving swiftly from position to position, even firm to firm, for more money. Our salaries are strategic weapons to impress people and intimidate peers.

9. Build Your Emotions: Positional leaders are not just smart, they’re emotional, too. Building our ability to react with surprise, anger, contempt, depression and fear shows that we’re real people, too.

10. Build Your Command of the Facts: Positional leaders must work hard to appear they know everything. With so many smart people around these days (i.e., “knowledge workers”) we can’t let them think for a minute that they may know more than we do. You simply must be right. If you can’t be right, be definite.

11. Build Your Speaking Skills: If we’ve practiced these 12 Essentials well, we will have succeeded in creating a team that is awaiting our orders. Therefore, speaking skills are vital to get people moving. Good practice begins with finishing people’s sentences for them, interrupting, and shouting them down.

12. Build Your Co-Dependent Relationships: Let’s face it, it’s lonely at the top. Only the few who are worthy make it. So it’s crucial to build around us a group of glad-handers, second-handers, and drinking buddies to make us feel better and enjoy more of what life has to offer those at the top of the pyramid.

BUILT TO LAG. “Everyone for themselves.”

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That was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. One thing I learned in writing it is that BUILT TO LAG is BUILT TO LEAD’s most aggressive competitor.

If anyone wants to comment please do so.