Why you may want to consider how much you compliment
This article should be required reading for leaders – whether political or corporate. As much as some may enjoy presiding over their Republic of Sycophancy or Sycophancy Incorporated – it is killing their country/company.
Top Quotes:
“Our theory suggests how high levels of flattery and opinion conformity can increase CEOs’ overconfidence in their strategic judgment and leadership capability, which results in biased strategic decision making.. What we are saying is that with CEO status, the greater the status, the more flattery and opinion conformity will be directed towards the CEO. And the more flattery and opinion conformity directed at the CEO, the greater the CEO’s self-enhancement.˝
˝Now, we are not saying that self-enhancement itself decreases firm performance,” Stern clarifies. “We are saying that when there is low firm performance, the greater the self-enhancement of the CEO, the less likely the CEO is to be initiating changes in firm strategy.” Those are exactly the CEOs you would expect to be doing the opposite, to change strategies.