Leadership BS summary

No one will accuse Donald Trump of false modesty. His businesses are all plastered with his name: Trump Casino, Trump Steaks, Trump Tower and so on. While this makes him the butt of many jokes, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s the 417th richest man in the world, worth an estimated $4 billion.

So it’s safe to say Trump might know a thing or two about business leadership, especially when it comes to self-promotion.

When athletes are exhausted, with cramping muscles and sore bones, they have to convince themselves to “play through the pain.” Leaders are often expected to do a similar thing and block out their emotions in order to make the best business decisions.

This is another fact that gets glossed over in books about leadership, which often suggest the best leaders are always the most authentic ones. But in reality, successful leaders are generally putting on a show and displaying different versions of themselves.

As children, we’re told that lying is bad, a sinful act. Many American kids are told to emulate the young George Washington, who was caught cutting down a cherry tree when he was six years old and made a famous confession: “I can’t tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.”

Yet not only is this story most likely a fictional one; lying has also proven to be highly useful for successful business leaders, especially for those trying to gain and hold onto power.

One of the many perks of being wealthy and powerful would appear to be the ability to break your commitments if you no longer feel like doing something. If you’ve ever had to deal with keeping track of a powerful person’s schedule, you’ll be familiar with how quickly things can change.

Nevertheless, books on leadership will often promote the idea that establishing trust is an essential part of success. Yet the truth is, many businesses perform fantastically even when people have a very low opinion of the leader’s trustworthiness.

There are more than a few differences between military leadership and business leadership.

In the military, officers care so much about their personnel that they often won’t eat until everyone else has had their fill. In business, only a fool believes that their boss has any concern about how hungry they might be.

There are different ways businesses will try to protect their prosperity and power, many of which may adversely affect their employees. A round of layoffs is probably the most distressing option, but others include relocating to cheaper offices and cutting back on supplies.

There’s a message here that every employee can learn from: protect your own neck!

If you watch sports, especially soccer or basketball, you’re probably familiar with playacting, which is when one player dramatically falls after receiving the slightest touch from the opposing player. This is a strategic move that the best players will perfect, since it costs them nothing and, if it works, it may earn them a free kick or a couple of free throws.

The best leaders are also familiar with the benefits of playacting. So if you want to know what’s really going on, it’s best to keep an eye on their performance and what they’re doing, rather than what they’re saying.