Useful Disadvantage

I just left an unplugged session at the World Business Forum with Malcolm Gladwell. About 40 people listened and asked questions.

Gladwell is interested in learning theory, it’s central to his next book. In specific, he’s jazzed about what he calls “compensation learning.” Learning that results from compensating for a weakness. He talked about skills developed from overcoming dyslexia. Disadvantages can be useful.

Malcolm went on to mention that, “Societies with disadvantages compensate in ways that make them more competitive.” If you own a product made in China, you get the point.

Creating useful disadvantage:

I asked Malcolm about the role of leaders as people who create strategic disadvantage.

Gladwell said,

1. “Be selective.” In other words, choose your disadvantages carefully.
2. Keep the end in mind. Don’t overwhelm people. “Useful disadvantages strengthen rather than crush.”

“The idea that more resources always lead to better results is a pernicious lie,” Malcolm Gladwell.

Question:

What are the implications of creating useful disadvantage?

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Your Frailties Make You Beautiful

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We’re all drawn toward skillful competent individuals. Maybe they’ll teach us? Hopefully, they’ll rub off. But competency without frailty is uncomfortable, unapproachable, and unattractive.

The things that make competencies beautiful are the frailties that surround them. I was thinking of this during lunch with Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup. He has competencies built on frailties.

He’s a self-proclaimed introvert. He knows how to put his head down and get the job done; that’s not a frailty. Years ago, however, he lost his job and spent a year searching for a new position. It was then that he realized he was a pathetic networker.

Frailties helped an introverted; head’s down, get-the-job-done type of guy realized the need to connect, to network.

There are many reasons Doug Conant earned the CEO position at Campbell’s. One of them is networking. You can’t rise to positions of influence in isolation.

Yesterday, I received one of the thank-you notes that Doug is famous for. Over the last 10 years he’s written over 30,000.

Doug’s story is beautiful because of frailty. Without frailty the story lacks luster. With frailty, it’s an invitation.

Leaders spend too much time hiding frailties and parading strengths.

Finding the beauty:

All frailties with no competencies make us pathetic. Competencies without frailties, however, are uninteresting and unattractive. You’re beautiful when your strengths are sprinkled with frailties.

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How can leaders maintain credibility and share frailties at the same time?

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Personal note: I’m attending the World Business Forum today and tomorrow. I may post a couple extra posts over the next couple days. I love being here but I miss my wife. Love you babe!

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Don’t miss a single issue of Leadership Freak, subscribe today. It’s free.  It’s private.  It’s always practical and brief.

Go to the main page of Leadership Freak by clicking the banner at the top of this page, look in the right-hand navigation bar, enter your email and click subscribe.  Your email address is always kept private.  Note:  if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam filter for a confirmation email.