Cautions on Dark Triad Qualities for Leaders

This is really a tricky issue to navigate and explain, that is, of leaders adopting so-called dark triad qualities.  But Inc. columnist Minda Zetlin does it with grace, care and encouragement.  Let's step back, and discuss this a bit more, though.

Terms like narcissist, manipulator, and psychopath come from clinical psychology, and they carry definitions that speak to disorder, dysfunction and psychopathology.  These terms have seeped into everyday culture and conversation, and they mean a host of things for people and they resonate with different sorts of images, emotions and figures.  In other words, semantics matter. 

That said, I think it's better to focus on the qualities that Zetlin teases, and that I add to, and essentially dispense with the terms themselves:

• Narcissist | self-absorbed, impassioned and confident
• Manipulator |  observant, calculating and strategic
• Psychopath | courageous, steely and detached

To the extent that you want and can to adopt these qualities into your leadership efforts, then go for it.  The caveat, of course, is to use for adaptive, not inappropriate, purpose. 

LeBron James Returning, Cleveland Rising

In the sports world, this has been a remarkable summer for Cleveland.  Its prodigal son, superstar basketball player LeBron James, came back home, and signed a deal with the Cavaliers, four trips to the NBA Finals in tow and two championship rings on his fingers.

Plus, the Browns drafted the much heralded, arguably overhyped Johnny Manziel in the first round.  The verdict is still out on the football trajectory of the rookie, who has yet to play his first NFL game.  But the young man they call Johnny Football has added quite a lot of media and fan attention for the oft-loser of a team. 

Recently a colleague of mine, who's a director with the Case Western University school of management, whose hometown is also Cleveland, mentioned that the Republican Convention for 2016 will be held there.

So no wonder real estate valuation in Cleveland is on the rise.  I was happy to hear that city officials have done a lot to combat crime, pollution and corruption, the plagues of modern day cities.  All told, they've certainly grabbed my attention.  I'd love to invest in that city, but at the very least visit Case Western and grab a ball game or two.

Staggering Figures for Transformers Series

It goes without saying that box office dollars differ from one market another.  Companies, including movie houses, have options at their disposal:  They may employ different business models for different global markets, or they may stick to the same fundamental one but with alternative strategies and adjusted finances.

Reporter Ben Fritz boils it down clearly:  For every $10 a movie makes in the US, the studio gets $5 of it, whereas it's $2.50 for the same $10 in China.  But penetrating such a major market as China may pay dividends for future movie offerings and business deals.  So we mustn't scoff outright at the wide discrepancy between US and China. 

The following gross figures for the highly popular Transformers film series are staggering:

Sure, there are intricate financials and complicated business and market factors that go into topline and bottomline, but the gross margins for Transformers are figures that many movie houses would die for:  a whopping 387% in returns. 

Jessica Alba Scores with The Honest Co.

The WSJ’s Lee Hawkins discusses the strong likelihood that Jessica Alba’s non-toxic products company, Honest Company, will do an initial public offering after an announcement that the company received a $70 million round of financing from venture capital investors.

The Honest Co. had $12 million in revenues in 2012, its launch year, then climbed fivefold to $60 million last year.  It's expected to hit $100 million by end of this year.  Wow.  Moreover, with the latest $70 million, Jessica Alba's company now has grabbed $152 million in financing from several participants.  Another wow.

Here's the story behind The Honest Co.:

Once upon a time...

A dad named Christopher and a mom named Jessica found themselves utterly frustrated trying to find the perfect products for their babies and homes.

We both wanted an ideal: not only effective, but unquestionably safe, eco-friendly, beautiful, convenient, and affordable – everyone should have it. We believed every baby deserved the best we can create for them. We are dreamers.

But, more importantly, we are doers.

You know what they say, if you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself.

Dreamers and doers, eh.  That's the ticket.

Jacqueline Whitmore on Coveted Listening Skill

Jacqueline Whitmore, Founder of Etiquette Expert, is right that you don't have to be an extrovert to succeed.  Indeed there is a host of personalities that make up leadership and success, including introverts.  But as Lauren Covello suggests in her lead-up, regardless of personality we do have to convey confidence.  Where we fall on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, such as the extroversion-introversion dimension, doesn't mean we must behave or interact in a lockstep, bound manner.  So while someone outgoing can work a room full of people easily and gracefully, the more reserved person can do the same with a bit of skill development and practice.  Introverts are more inclined to listen, as Whitmore points out, and that's such a crucial thing in a corporate or social milieu where people simply have difficulty listening to each other.  But if this skill is lacking in any other personality, they too can learn it and adopt it.

Arthur Joseph: Both Message and Messenger Matter

Arthur Joseph, Founder of Vocal Awareness, offers sound advice about how leaders ought to carry themselves.  It isn't just what we say, but also how we say it.  It isn't just the message, but the messenger as well.  Communication really is the whole constellation that goes into getting our message across and connecting with others.  Our physical self matters, for example, speaking with good breaths and good pace.  Also, what Joseph suggests about sitting up with a string above your head is this: In T'ai Chi we hold postures and do movements, while imagining there is a string attached to the very top of our head.  That string is pulled taut, but gently, from the ceiling (or sky), and the result is a more upright, more open demeanor for leaders.

Boston Beer Founder Jim Koch on Leadership

Jim Koch, the founder of Boston Beer Company, gives his best leadership advice after three decades at the helm of the brewhouse that makes Sam Adams beer.

The leadership lessons Koch learned are organic.  That is, they are outcrops from what he has experienced in running a company and working with people:

• The leader is never tired, and never has a bad day.  The leader has to have more energy and spirit than everybody else, because you cannot expect more of your people than you expect of yourself.  
• Culture and values can substitute for resources, like good equipment, food or supplies.
• People don't care what you tell them, instead they care about what you do.  You're always visible.

Indeed being a leader can be a tall order.