When I were a lad, rich people were much quieter. Of course, them and shapeshifting reptilians were still running the world, but you’d struggle to name many of them. Likewise, the idea of “world’s richest person” didn’t really exist, and if you were to google it even today for any pre-Microsoft year, you either won’t know the name, or the data is inconclusive. Back then, “rich” was the local freehouse pub landlord who also owned a second hand car yard. Or a plumber. Today of course, most of us could not just name the top 5, but also pick them out in a Police lineup. They are more visible than ever, and the power they wield, if not more total, is certainly more visible. I say this in a week when some nerd who designs microchips has been exposed as a serial shagger, and the news won’t stop talking about it. He’s quit and woman number 2 has now been exposed and I’m sure, what with Brand and Walliams et al, every male CEO and celebrity who’s been flaunting the DEO is rightly sh*tting their pants.
The recent case of Jensen Huang highlights a universal truth for successful men; when they shag someone they shouldn’t, they are always punching well above their weight. In the case of Huang, the first wasn’t just a Chinese hotty, but also a Chinese hotty spy – no doubt trained in the art of sucking a golf ball through a garden hose by the Ministry of State Security themselves. Now to most of us fellas, a much younger and more attractive woman suggesting we go halves on a single hotel room typically raises suspicion – especially when we look like Dangermouse’s Penfold. However, these men of power somehow convince themselves that yes, this new leather jacket they’ve purchased at 63 has done everything the Prada sales assistant said it would. Now you might think that rich old men know that these women aren’t actually attracted to them, but I don’t think this is the case. If they want raunchy sex with catwalk quality women, those services are available professionally (so I’ve been told). More likely, rich men have a blind spot. And it’s created by living a life where they get whatever they want, and where they’re always right. They don’t see themselves as sweaty old perves. They seem themselves as amazing, because that’s what we’ve been telling them since we made billionaires our heroes.
Unsurprisingly, I have a different take on extreme wealth. I am one of the many annoying people who believe that you can’t be a billionaire AND a decent person. Because of this, I’m never surprised by what they get up to. Further to that, I actually feel sorry for those who are extremely wealthy and/or famous and/or powerful. For all the perceived benefits, it’s a curse. And in business, I think we’re at our best on the way up – not when we’re atop the pile.
If I look at our clients, the recruitment GMs who are most respected by their team (not the industry I must add), are the ones still building something. They’re leaders, but they’re still hands-on in what they do. Their businesses are typically good, but not yet great. Their businesses are past “challenger brand”, but probably not quite the “go-to” brand yet either. The easy analysis of this is that they have yet to become complacent, and there is of course truth in this. But I don’t think it’s the biggest reason. The reason that leaders lose their grip on reality isn’t that they’re rich. It’s because once you reach a certain level in any industry, or in life in general, fewer and fewer people tell you the f*cking truth.
Of course billionaires get slated all the time, but that’s by lefties on Twitter (let’s keep calling it that). However, this isn’t your inner circle. Your inner circle becomes full of people telling you that your truck design looks great, the leather jacket is a winner, and Epstein’s Island is just what the doctor ordered (that and some doxycycline for the chlamydia). And you don’t have to be a billionaire. The higher you claw up the corporate ladder, the less people there are to tell you the cold, hard truth. If I look at the recruitment industry, there are GMs out there that will tell me they know exactly what the culture is in their business, and what the team think of them. 5 years ago they may have been correct. So many say to us “My team would never come to you. They’d speak with me if they weren’t happy“. Then sure enough, Claudia gets a DM saying “get me out of this sh*t-hole” from a loyal employee. Once you really make it, it gets even worse. We are all guilty of having very stupid ideas. On the way up, people don’t just tell you, they openly mock you. Once you’re at the very top, your perceived omnipotence and people’s sycophantic desire to be associated with you creates an absolute monster. These crazy ideas aren’t just tolerated, they’re heralded as genius. As I say, who would want this? You may have made a billion, but you’ll lose a billion when no one tells you of your folly. This is why medieval courts had jesters. Not to make people laugh, but to tell nobles and monarchs the truth whilst retaining their heads. Modern business needs a modern equivalent. I’d offer my services, but I’m more rude than funny.
This goes against a concept that again, I’ve always thought was nonsense. Now admitting this will probably strip me of my kiwi passport, so let’s go all in with some other unpopular opinions first. Air New Zealand is a sh*t airline. Richie McCaw is boring and has a stupid haircut. It’s day-byoo not day-boo, and only sex offenders wear undies under togs. But my main point is, if tall-poppy syndrome is a thing, then we need more of it. Not less. Building up people doing well may seem like a nice thing, and in the most part it is. However, that’s not how I see the term used. Mostly, it’s rolled out when someone doing well starts acting like a dickhead. It’s then used to defend dickheadish behaviour. Oh don’t worry about them. It’s just classic tall-poppy syndrome. It’s funny how decent people never complain about it huh? I genuinely don’t know anyone who openly denies good people their successes. What I do know is plenty of people who think that being an All Black doesn’t mean you can shag other women in airport toilets. Or coerce governments into creating policies that only serve the top .1%. Or do all the other lousy sh*t that very successful people get up to.
I work under a simple rule. If you manage anyone, they have issues with you that they haven’t told you. They’ve also pretended to agree with you. No matter how much you encourage open and lively debate, as a boss, you sometimes have to pull rank. And once you do this, you create a division, and you stop hearing the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That’s just life, and if you claim “well it’s not my life” then you should also buy a very ugly, very expensive leather jacket. And the same goes for ideas. The bigger you are, the more likely people will blindly back you. And because of this you now have an extra job to add to your already significant workload – finding a few people so stupid, carefree, or mad, to tell you what you need to hear.
^SW
