The Days of Asshole Leadership Are Numbered

Business Insider recently published a list of the 25 most hated CEOs. Ouch. What's remarkable is how consistent the reasons for them being hated hold across the example. Turns out, if you want to be hated by your employees, all you have to do is: not tolerate dissent, minimize feedback channels, discourage the use of personal agency and decision making and finally, make sure to be a jerk. Who would have guessed?!

In all seriousness though, the days of asshole leadership are numbered.

We've all experienced asshole leadership. Asshole leadership is leadership that doesn't encourage conversation across the company. It's leadership that fails to create a broader mission that people can actually care about. It's leadership that systemically fails to affirm and respect the contributions of the people who come together to make products and services happen. It's leadership that gets lost in the sound of it's own voice. It's leadership that can't and won't tolerate dissent, because it is leadership that is terrified and threatened by change.

Asshole leadership is all about the leader, and not about the enterprise. Asshole leadership is no leadership at all.

Luckily, I believe it's days are numbered. And to be clear, this is not about style. There are many different viable leadership styles that vary in terms of openness, transparency, hierarchy, and every other characteristics. Steve Jobs is different than Mark Zuckerberg is different than Meg Whitman is different than Evan Williams is different tha.. and that's all just within the web and computer tech industry.

But what holds across style is sentiment. Great leaders always recognize and respect what others bring to the table. Period. Respect for talent, dissent, and diversity of perspective is what great businesses are built on. Great leadership unleashes, rather than stifles, passion.

More and more, even the coldest, most traditional depths of corporate America are recognizing that the tide is turning, and the forces of openness over opaqueness and internal collaboration over competition are beginning to crumble the cubicle machine. People - particularly young people - want and expect to be affirmed. Not because they are greedy or emotionally fragile, but because why not? If they're going to pour themselves into something, why shouldn't they feel valued?

This is going to come at some cost - both to individuals and to companies. I expect that young people will increasingly find themselves less than content with the options available, and anticipate an explosion of self-employment. At the same time, however, this recession will last forever and entire industries that are structured in such a way that breaks peoples spirits and bodies (law, I'm looking at you) are going to need to shift dramatically.

Of course, every challenge is an opportunity and smart firms are going to figure out how to get out ahead of the curve and create environments that truly respect and harness what their people have to offer.

....Except universities. Their leadership is probably doomed forever.

(Photo: shearforce)