Why CEOs Fail
The 11 Behaviors That Can Derail Your Climb to the Top - And How to Manage Them
J-B US non-Franchise Leadership
1. Edition May 2003
208 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Short Description
Leaders (and those that aspire to lead) often fail because they succumb to certain derailing behaviors: the eleven deadly sins. The authors (both psychologists and executive coaches) name and illustrate the eleven sins with real stories taken from behind their closed-door practice. Cogent, straight and crisply written these short chapters will offer insight and inspiration for all leaders who may struggle with their dark side and be both a useful and fascinating read that will leave many recognizing themselves and the traps they can avoid to their own success. Dotlich and Cairo are the authors of Unnatural Leadership (0-7879-5618-X).
If any of the following behaviors sound like you or someone you work with, beware! In Why CEOs Fail, David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo describe the most common characteristics of derailed top executives and how you can avoid them:
* Arrogance-- you think that you're right, and everyone else is wrong.
* Melodrama-- you need to be the center of attention.
* Volatility-- you're subject to mood swings.
* Excessive Caution-- you're afraid to make decisions.
* Habitual Distrust-- you focus on the negatives.
* Aloofness -- you're disengaged and disconnected.
* Mischievousness-- you believe that rules are made to be broken.
* Eccentricity-- you try to be different just for the sake of it.
* Passive Resistance-- what you say is not what you really believe.
* Perfectionism-- you get the little things right and the big things wrong.
* Eagerness to Please-- you try to win the popularity contest.
Peter C. Cairo is a partner in CDR International and member of the faculty of Columbia University Business School Executive Education. He has worked with many companies in the areas of leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational effectiveness. He is coauthor with David Dotlich of Action Coaching and Unnatural Leadership, both from Jossey-Bass.
