Working Wounded: Smart Doesn't Always Equal Success
Nov. 15, 2006 — -- For the last few years, Donald Trump has towered over the business landscape, bombarding us with hit TV shows, books, hotels and office buildings -- sometimes it's hard to go through an entire business day without having to deal with the "King of the Comb-over."
Ironically, when it comes to what it takes to be a successful leader today, "the Donald" must take a back seat to, of all people, another Donald. Donald Rumsfeld.
Rummy has a stellar resume -- Naval aviator, Congressman, two-time defense secretary, CEO. And there is one thing that everyone can agree on when it comes to Rumsfeld: he is a heckuva smart guy. Really smart. Smarter than you or me. Probably one of the smartest people anywhere. And if you don't believe me, just ask him.
But there is a big difference between this Donald and you and me. We've still got our jobs. If you've just emerged from a sensory deprivation chamber and haven't heard the news, Rumsfeld lost his last week.
Ironically, I think his downfall is directly related to how smart he is. His intelligence managed to do something I thought impossible. I just may eliminate gridlock in DC. Rumsfeld proved that there was one thing that both Republicans and Democrats could agree on -- that it was time for him to leave Dodge.
His fall from power can teach us a lot, even if we aren't Mensa members. Like many corporate leaders, he came to believe too much in his own intelligence. And this is a dangerous development in business as well as the political world.
Rumsfeld managed to turn his intelligence into a weapon, instead of a tool. According to someone who worked with him in the Pentagon, his nickname within the defense establishment was "wire-brush treatment."
Movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn once said that he wanted people to tell him the truth even if it cost them their jobs. Rumsfeld lived this philosophy. So it was no wonder that the generals didn't ask for more troops, because the one who did early in the war, General Eric Shinseki, was dumped from his job.
Calvin Trillin once observed that watching a press conference with Rumsfeld was like watching someone patiently trying to explain the obvious to a group of slow third graders. I half expect to see Rummy's photo in the next edition of the dictionary to illustrate the word condescending.
But he didn't limit his arrogance to just his generals or the press. At an American Legion Convention he accused critics of "trying to appease a new type of fascism."
But of all of the descriptions of Rumsfeld, no one better captured the essence of the man than the Washington Post, which referred to him as the Secretary of "Offense."
Reflecting on Rumsfeld's demise, I was reminded of another group of the smartest people around. Enron. Just before the company fell, I was invited for a meeting in their corporate headquarters to discuss a possible gig doing consulting work for the company. If I've ever been in a room of more obnoxious people, I can't remember it.
Like Rumsfeld, those Enron execs put their own hubris ahead of their company's best interests. The result was the biggest corporate disaster in U.S. history.
Don't get me wrong, I'd always rather be smart. But it's dumb to be blind to how smart can also get you in trouble.
Quote of the Week
"He was a self made man who owes his success to nobody." -- Joseph Heller
Book Excerpt of the Week
From: "Complete and Utter Failure" by Neil Steinberg (Doubleday, 1994)
"Musing over failure is not a particularly American activity, however. Sure, it's big in Europe, where every nation, at one time or another, has had a lock on greatness, only to fritter it away something monster places in gold leaf and commissioning jeweled Faberge eggs by the dozen. England had her empire; Spain, her Armada; France, her Napoleon; Germany, it's unspeakable zenith. Even Belgium had a moment of lorry, though, true, things haven't been quite the same since the death of Charles the Bold in 1477. For those nations, remembering and bitterly analyzing greatness are about their only connection to it anymore. Why do you think they have all those pubs and outdoor cafes?"
Blog Ballot Results
Here are the results from a recent Working Wounded Blog/ABCNEWS.com online ballot:
Do you learn anything from politics that helps you back at work?
Yes, 11 percent
Not really, 37 percent
Are you insane?, 51.9 percent
Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, an internationally syndicated columnist, popular speaker, and a recent addition to the community of bloggers. He welcomes your comments at bob@workingwounded.com.
This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.