Rule 27: Get Results Through Alignment and Adjustment, Not Democracy


Overview

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SNAPSHOT

Do you believe in corporate democracy?

Yes: 15 percent

No: 85 percent

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We have already established that executives who manage like dictators will rarely get to the top, and if they do, they probably will not stay there. "A good manager operates like a constitutional monarch," according to Ed Dowd. He or she retains the authority to override any other individual, but is still limited in his or her conduct by the rules and policies of the company and the legal restrictions applicable to the company.

"No one has absolute authority. The people who think they do start to mix personal and business activity, and before you know it they are under federal investigation," Dowd says. If you walk into an organization, ignore the culture and the rules, and simply say, "I am the new sheriff in town; they obviously brought me in because you guys were all screwed up and I'm going to show you how it's really done," your career will "crash and burn," according to Doug Bain of Boeing.

Indeed, if you get too swept up in your own authority, you will start to put your own interests above those of the organization. One only has to look at the CEO of Tyco International, who was indicted for allegedly channeling his personal art purchases through his company to avoid paying sales taxes. As soon as you feel you have total power, you will start to make these kinds of mistakes, and they will cost you everything.

Former Senator Bob Dole finds that the biggest flaw that causes the downfall of otherwise successful politicians is the "false sense of invincibility that comes with power." That often leads people to push the envelope on the belief that they can get away with anything—that no rules apply to their conduct or authority. Once you feel that you answer to no one, you are on the brink of professional disaster.




Staying Power. 30 Secrets Invincible Executives Use for Getting to the Top - and Staying There
Staying Power : 30 Secrets Invincible Executives Use for Getting to the Top - and Staying There
ISBN: 0071395172
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 174

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