Corporate Bullies

p.s. The following was extracted from Newsweek here. We are born to be leaders – if not for a corporation or a nation, we are leaders in our own family. We shall not be the sadistic bullies. Leaders should listen to his people, inspire for them to achieve their goals and aspirations, fast-thinking to solve issues and evolve to accommodate responsibility to his people and demands of his people (L.I.F.E).

Corporate Bullies

Some executives find an aggressive style helps them claw to the top, but they often can't sustain their reign.

We all know our fair share of corporate bullies—the managers who abuse power, yell, harass and micromanage their way through life. Usually their office antics breed resentment, sabotage, "mental health days" and costly turnover.

But some executives notorious for their abrasive styles—the Steve Jobs, Harvey Weinsteins and Barry Dillers of the world—are hailed as luminaries, breaths of fresh air for stale industries.

So what separates the sadists from the wunderkinds? In short, the silver-backed gorilla.

Sadists throw their weight around gratuitously, and relish the chance to watch underlings squirm. In contrast, the silver-backed gorilla will beat his chest, break branches, flash his teeth and charge—but all in the interest of protecting his troop. He secures food, mediates conflicts and provides safety, so lesser gorillas put up with his antics. His fictional counterpart is Don Corleone. In corporate America, it may be Martha Stewart

It may be better for a prince (as in the corporate leader) to be feared than loved. But, says Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Nye, "we sometimes forget that the opposite of love is not fear but hatred. And Machiavelli made it clear that hatred is something a prince should carefully avoid.