Beware of Good Examples

Everyone knows the danger of bad examples, but little attention is given to the harm that can be done by good ones.

Good examples are especially dangerous because they don't trigger warning mechanisms. Quite the contrary. When organizations reward and promote these individuals, the unspoken message is, "Be like this person and you will succeed."

That's the problem.

Charles is charismatic and bright. He walks into a room and sucks out the oxygen. All eyes turn to him whenever a decision has to be made. He is charming, creative, and confident. Unfortunately, he also weakens the organization because his charisma causes otherwise capable associates to defer to him. Leave him in place and after a few years you'll find that Charles has inadvertently created a cadre of highly dependent co-workers. If he leaves, your organization is in real trouble. If he stays, there will be equivalent problems because, truth be known, good old Chuck isn't always right.

Maria lacks Charles's charisma but she compensates by being detailed and analytical. The odds of her ever making a mistake are low. She checks and doublechecks and encourages her employees to do so. Maria wants her work to be perfect and there's the rub. Projects slide into Maria's operation and bog down. There are many times when Maria would be better advised to produce something that is pretty good by tomorrow than something that is perfect by next month.

Harold is probably the most creative person in the company. He has twelve times as many ideas as any of his peers and many of Harold's ideas pay off. But Harold's creativity prevents him from being as effective as an unimaginative plodder who knows how to focus. Put Harold in a think tank and he'd thrive. Expect him to run a department and he'll resemble the man who mounted a horse and rode off in all directions.

Charles, Maria, and Harold are only a few examples of virtues which, if taken to an extreme, become vices. Urge someone to emulate one of them and you may be steering that person into a career disaster.