‘Big men’ will wreak havoc in politics as they did in Steinhoff collapse
Founders and strong CEOs who were seen as kingpins in their organisations are now often subject to inquiry as the pendulum swings away from grandiose leaders
Evidence from the wreckage of the Steinhoff collapse, prompts one to reassess the characteristics of certain CEOs in corporates. Two years ago a paper from Stanford University academics in the journal Leadership detailed how a narcissistic CEO increased risk-taking, overpaid for acquisitions, manipulated accounting data and even committed fraud. And yet the prognosis was different two decades ago. When psychoanalyst Michael Maccoby published his paper on narcissistic CEOs in the Harvard Business Review in 2000, the dot.com frenzy meant larger-than-life leaders were celebrated as the ones who could see the big picture and steer their companies into the internet revolution. I recall how superstar CEOs dominated the covers of magazines. These skilled orators with an affinity for the grandiose were pictured as inspired leaders who could motivate followers. In his Steve Jobs biography, Walter Isaacson debunked many myths about the Apple founder. He exposed his less savoury personality ...
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