Leaders’ Weaknesses

Here’s a light-hearted one from the BBC in which Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times identifies the worst features of typical Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). Have a guess before you look at the list below.

Almost all the bosses who were interviewed gave the usual responses that reveal a lack of self-knowledge and a quite extraordinary willingness to give themselves the benefit of the doubt. Typically they will admit to weaknesses that are really strengths – “I work too hard”, “I’m a perfectionist” etc.

15 years of taking detailed notes reveal there is no difference between men and women, and no difference between Americans and Europeans. All are as bad as each other. And most of them manifest at least one ‘deadly sin’. Kellaway bluntly states that these typically are that:

They are control freaks. They are vain. They are ditherers. They don’t listen. They are bullies. They are afraid of conflict. And they can’t do small talk.

But why did only two of the 60 interview candidates feel able to own up to any real weaknesses? The first possibility is that they didn’t dare. Perhaps the real problem is worse: they don’t know what their faults are.