Beware the boss with the messianic complex
Comment of the Day

September 12 2012

Commentary by David Fuller

Beware the boss with the messianic complex

This is an interesting column (will require subscription registration, PDF also provided) by Luke Johnson for the Financial Times . Here is a brief sample:
My view has always been that we all answer to someone - be it the bank, a partner, regulators - indeed, the list can be a long one. Anyone who imagines they have total independence from the rest of society is delusional.

Perhaps while in uniform, all of those at the top have moments when they imagine they are god - be they generals, surgeons or corporate chieftains. But unless they are sociopaths - which some entrepreneurs probably are - then any momentary lapse into a messianic complex will soon be corrected.

In my experience, leaders who lack conscience and suffer from excessive self-confidence end up in trouble. Business is a collaborative art that requires persuasion and negotiation. As the Greeks knew, nemesis awaits those who are afflicted by hubris.

David Fuller's view Surprisingly, Luke Johnson did not mention messianic traders and investment managers. They lose touch with reality and almost inevitably implode at some point.

Good managers should be able to spot messianic traders under their watch and probably do. However when things go badly wrong it is usually because management became hooked on the profits and bonuses generated and therefore ignored the warning signs.

As investors, most of us have had our hubristic moments and they are invariably costly. Family bonds and a balanced life help to keep both feet on the ground

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