Smart People Can Do Dumb Things

     "The 'win-at-all-costs' attitude of self-serving leaders may result in great harm to others and even to themselves. In their book Why Smart People Do Dumb Things, Feinberg and Tarrant cite several reasons for incredibly talented people acting in what turn out to be incredibly destructive ways. These reasons are arrogance, hubris, narcissism, and an unconscious need to fail. Arrogance is an exaggerated sense of pride and self-importance. Aristotle referred to hubris as 'hamartia,' a tragic (fatal) character flaw that distorts the inner moral compass of even the smartest among us. Sanders has said that 'the single biggest threat to an organization’s success is pride.' Narcissists typically lack connectivity to the world in which they live. Many exhibit such a lack of connection that they speak of themselves in the third person. Narcissists often believe that they are better than others and therefore not subject to the same basic rules and social norms. They develop a sense of entitlement, which may eventually lead to their unraveling. The harmful effects of such narcissists may extend beyond their immediate circle and the organizations of which they are a part if they achieve a high profile in the public eye. Pinsky and Young in their book The Mirror Effect explain how narcissistic entertainers have negatively altered what are considered 'normal' behavior patterns of young people." 

       Certosimo F. The servant leader: a higher calling for dental professionals. J Dent Educ 2009; 73(9): 1065-8.

     A recent study of teenagers showed that most of them would rather be the assistant to a celeb than themselves having significant positions such as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or president of Harvard.

     Can we health-care professionals rediscover the meaning in our calling, when so many of us barely survive on junk food? Can we heal society to thrive on meaningful engagement with each other and life itself?

Andre Gallant   http://www.andregallant.com/