Blam! Maximum Success

The Meritocrat -- Life Isn't Fair

Waldroop: Sometimes the world operates in wonderfully rational ways. The team that scores the most wins; the one who spells all the words right gets an A. And sometimes the world operates in ways that are irrational. Someone's nephew gets the job instead of you; the incompetent employee gets the promotion. The meritocrat is the person who won't accept that life isn't always fair and who insists that all proposals, ideas, and products be thought of rationally. The meritocrat insists on fighting the "good" fight until everyone is out of patience.

Butler: I once worked with a really sophisticated quantitative analyst. His manager couldn't understand some of the more basic equations that this guy put together for building his models. The analyst thought that the equations intimidated the manager. He felt that he couldn't put up equations on the whiteboard because of his manager's fear. The analyst simply couldn't believe that this manager was running the department. Clearly, there's merit in being able to build a sophisticated, elegant formula. But another observer might say, Wait, there's merit in being able to manage the 15 narcissistic, cowboy analysts who make up the department; there's value in running meetings smoothly and in making sure that deadlines are met. The analyst's point of view was, "The key to this business is getting the analysis right, and I can do it and he can't. So why is my salary lower?"

Waldroop: Meritocrats may have great ideas, but they are ineffective at implementing them. It's frustrating not to see your ideas acted upon. But there's a difference between being right and being effective, and those feelings of annoyance and anger can end up being a roadblock. Such emotions can prevent you from seeing how to achieve the outcome that you want. People fall into this trap more often than they realize. If you know deep down inside that you occasionally slip into such rigid black-and-white thinking -- beware. Life isn't fair. If you never come to terms with that fact, then you'll never figure out how to use your powers of persuasion to make the scale tip in your direction with the right people.

When we work with someone who suffers from black-and-white thinking, we often suggest that the person take her ideas to a manager and present them as if they were not yet fully formed. "This is what I'd like to do," you should say. "But I want your thoughts as well." That approach gives the manager a sense of investment in your idea. There are also certain phrases that we suggest our clients use, such as, "I wonder if there is another way to look at this situation." By using words and phrases that show that you see the shades of gray in a situation, you are more likely to avert battles.

The Hero -- Success Has a Price

Butler: The hero is someone who constantly tries to do too much and push too hard. Ninety-nine percent isn't an acceptable score for the hero. Setting ambitious goals and working hard to achieve them isn't a bad thing; it's the hero's compulsive nature that is the problem. It's hard to visualize heroism as a roadblock to success, because heroes so often seem successful. And the new economy is a macho culture in so many ways. Sleep is for wimps. You're supposed to work hard and play hard -- but mostly you work hard.

Waldroop: The issue for the hero isn't the success, it's how she goes about achieving that success. A hero does whatever it takes to get where she wants to be. She'll expend whatever resources are necessary and make whichever sacrifices have to be made. She storms the castle, takes out the bridge, and blasts through the wall -- when 100 yards away there's a door that she could have taken instead.

But a hero doesn't see the cost of "taking the hill." She looks around and thinks, "What a great team we are! Let's celebrate! We did it!" She doesn't notice that nobody has fun at the party. They're sick, and they're exhausted. A lot of people at this party have bags under their eyes, and their spouses are pretty angry with them, because they haven't been home very much lately. The costs of success don't appear on any spreadsheet, but they are very real.

Butler: Part of the problem is that the hero is a commander, not a leader. The hero leads the charge instead of saying, "Okay, we're going to move forward together. We're all in this as a group. We can work together to accomplish this goal." There are times, of course, when leaders make tough decisions, because they have to be made, and there are times when leaders stretch people. That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about a person who charges straight ahead assignment after assignment -- not because he wants to offend those around him, but because he doesn't know how to take the group's temperature. It's like driving everywhere with the pedal to the metal. If you did that, you'd burn out the engine. Even machines aren't meant to run that way. Being a hero can work for a while, but organizations that are run by heroes hit barriers. Companies can't run on adrenaline alone.