Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

I dont want to sound too hard, but I have an intuition that this is just a load of hogwash. The author racks his brain and comes up with a few examples of addicts who run big companies.

What about all the big companies run by non-addicts (the majority)?

What about all the addicts who don't run big companies (the majority)?

These things need to be addressed before I'll start to buy the argument. And this comment coming from a habitual risk-taking leader himself.

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#5

Post by tilt » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 9:26 PM UTC

hammock wrote: post #4

I dont want to sound too hard, but I have an intuition that this is just a load of hogwash. The author racks his brain and comes up with a few examples of addicts who run big companies. What about all the big companies run by non-addicts (the majority)? What about all the addicts who don't run big companies (the majority)? These things need to be addressed before I'll start to buy the argument. And this comment comin…

Is that me or the author is not implying that good leaders ARE addicts (to drugs) but that they seek success, progress, disruption, quality as an addict would seek pleisure "artificially"?

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#6

Post by jey » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 9:31 PM UTC

hammock wrote: post #4

I dont want to sound too hard, but I have an intuition that this is just a load of hogwash. The author racks his brain and comes up with a few examples of addicts who run big companies. What about all the big companies run by non-addicts (the majority)? What about all the addicts who don't run big companies (the majority)? These things need to be addressed before I'll start to buy the argument. And this comment comin…

> What about all the big companies run by non-addicts (the majority)

Sure, but the real question is whether "addicts" are over-represented amongst successful CEOs more than the general population.

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#7

Post by aj700 » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 9:37 PM UTC

That applies to everyone. Everyone will be, is likely to be later, or most likely IS addicted to something: caffeine? their lovers? orgasms? money/credit? shopping? chocolate? unhealthy floury carbs? cheese? power over underlings?

if any of these are hard to go without in their current consumed amounts, they're addictions.

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#8

Post by tilt » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 9:41 PM UTC

aj700 wrote: post #7

That applies to everyone. Everyone will be, is likely to be later, or most likely IS addicted to something: caffeine? their lovers? orgasms? money/credit? shopping? chocolate? unhealthy floury carbs? cheese? power over underlings? if any of these are hard to go without in their current consumed amounts, they're addictions.

I guess that's because how brain receptors work for anyone. Still, author is talking about people that are LESS satisfied than the norm, so they always need more (like addicts).

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#9

Post by Mz » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 9:46 PM UTC

The risk-taking, novelty-seeking and obsessive personality traits often found in addicts can be harnessed to make them very effective in the workplace. For many leaders, it’s not the case that they succeed in spite of their addiction; rather, the same brain wiring and chemistry that make them addicts also confer on them behavioral traits that serve them well.

This is ridiculous in some ways. Yes, certain personality traits predispose you to certain things. But environment also plays a role. I imagine most leaders suffer from something I would call "bored gifted kid syndrome". And if they find a means to be adequately engaged, it goes away and stops being a "personality problem".

In fact, framing it as "addictive personality" helps create problems by vilifying them in a way that seems inescapable -- like "you were born defective". My oldest son is profoundly gifted and was prone to "addictive" behaviors (not drugs or alcohol, but video games and such) and when we figured out how to meet his needs for mental stimulation adequately, he went from behaving like your typical grumpy, socially defective addict to being one of the calmest people I know. I never told him he was "defective". I didn't frame it that way. And it helped him find his way out of what often ends up being a psychological trap.

Edit: There is a book that addresses the social aspect of creating addicts by imposing expectations that it is out of their hands -- for example, cultures that blame alcoholism on the alcohol have higher rates of it than cultures that hold the individual responsible. Title: "The Truth About Addiction and Recovery". One wife of an alcoholic who tried to hand me my head for recommending this book then went on to talk about "dry drunks" (people who remain "addicted" to alcohol while not drinking for years at a time) and that the real problem with alcoholism was all the "isms" (by that I think she meant beliefs?) not the alcohol per se. She was on such a tear, I didn't bother to point out that her remarks supported mine rather than refuting them.

EDIT: Since comment scores are not visible, I will note that this is being upvoted, downvoted, upvoted, downvoted. I would be curious as to what is so seemingly controversial. Any thoughts?

Re: Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader

#10

Post by ReneeKline » Sun, Jul 24, 2011, 10:03 PM UTC

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