Superhero Leadership summary

Crises are turning points. In medicine, a crisis is the decisive moment a disease changes course, leading toward recovery or death. The stakes are just as high in business. 

In this Blink, we’ll meet some of the “patients” treated by one of the world’s top turnaround specialists, Peter Cuneo. These companies were at death’s door when he first examined them. The symptoms were those of failing enterprises everywhere: flagging morale, dwindling cash reserves, a toxic culture, and a near-total absence of vision. 

“First do no harm,” doctors pledge. Turnaround specialists swear a similar oath. Before anything else, they must stabilize the situation and see that the patient survives. 

The problem is twofold. Stopping the rot calls for radical action. A doctor might choose to amputate a limb to save the patient. Turnaround CEOs sometimes have to be cruel to be kind. Cuts, lay-offs, and restructuring are the typical dread words. That’s one issue: a policy might be necessary, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to like it. The second is psychological. We all want to be loved – that’s hardwired in our human nature. Leaders have to override this instinct to do hard but necessary things. Which brings us to our first principle of superhero leadership: doing what’s right doesn’t always win popularity contests. 

No leader embodied this principle like Steve Jobs. When Jobs became interim CEO of Apple in 1997, the company was floundering. Its product line was bloated and confused. The company needed radical change. Jobs provided it. By the time he was done, two thirds Apple’s portfolio had been cut. Projects years in the making were cancelled. Many senior figures lost their jobs; those who remained came in for harsh public criticism. It didn’t make Jobs popular, but it worked: his changes powered Apple’s comeback. 

The mythology around Jobs means that there’ll always be leaders who ape his style while missing the substance. Putting on a black turtleneck sweater doesn’t make you a genius. Nor does treading on people’s toes for sport. Jobs’ single-mindedness was underpinned by strategic vision. Your aim isn’t to win a reputation for ruthlessness or the enemies that come with it. The point is to learn how to handle not being liked, accept that you can’t make everyone happy, and understand that courage means more than applause when an organisation’s survival is at stake.