POINT TO PONDER
A good leader takes more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.
- Arnold H. Glasow
REFLECTION by Rajiv Shah
I was listening to the radio the other day and I heard the rapper Notorious B.I.G. claim that success brings "mo' money, mo' problems."
I have to be honest that it hit me in an odd way. I'd heard it before but for some reason I mulled over it for quite. I kept thinking that not having money brought just as much problems as having it. And I felt like echoing Spike Mulligan in that, "all I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy."
This led me to thinking about people that had money. Lots of it. Athletes, venture capitalists, famous actors, politicians, pop stars, and CEO's. How did they make so much money and why? What set them apart?
It seems responsibility. Not just with getting the job done but taking responsibility when the job doesn't get done. In sports, athletes are paid bucks to perform and when they don't they are often the ire of fans and skeptics alike. And not only must they get the job done but they have to do it under the watchful scrutiny and often criticism of millions of fans, the media, and their peers.
CEO's must do it when their companies fail to meet expectations. Politicians live with criticism every day as their decisions affect the masses directly. More money, it seems, puts those who make it under a microscope and their decisions on a more glaring platform. More money more problems? I think more money, more responsibility.
Comments from the previous posting February 2013 of this FR
Kishan Bijon
CEOs walk away with Golden Parachute when they get fired for non performance. Politicians have no shame so they do not care about public criticism as long as they are paid. Athletes have long term contracts so all that they do is wait it out and cash in money.
only person who gets screwed is the little guy, a worker, who has no contracts or exit packages and he/she cares about shame.
Thick skin people More Money and No Shame.
Posted by: Kishan Bijon | February 14, 2013 at 09:38 PM
microCEO
Jobs that offer a lot of money are often characterized by very intense competition (obviously a lot of people are going to want to have that job). Natural talent, sense of leadership, and yes dedication and responsibility are undoubtably prerequisites. A measurable dose of risk taking and chutzpah is often also in the recipe. (Well, I wouldn't know, so can only speculate by observing others. :-).
There are some people who lose the focus once they attain this position, unfortunately. Star players (or entertainers) who stop performing like stars when the money and fame starts to pour in; Politicians who end up working to keep their jobs rather than honestly serve the people who elected them, etc.
For many, it seems that money (and success) may be valuable in the pursuit rather than the attainment. The film "Muse" comes to mind (1999, staring Albert Brooks and Sharon Stone) ... in which a successful screenwriter loses his artistic mojo, and Sharon Stone's character helps him to get it back by taking away all of his lifestyle comforts.
Posted by: microCEO | February 15, 2013 at 01:49 AM
Mark Dennen
I am very cynical when it comes to CEO pay. They are often paid as if they are the sole contributor to the success of the firm which we all know is ridiculous. Leadership and vision are important, but so is culture and values. The good CEOs, in my opinion, understand and value the contribution of everyone to the success of the firm and reward them accordingly.
That said, corporations have no soul, they don't go to heaven although some do go to hell. They are driven by the profit expectations of their shareholders and behave accordingly. Before I climb down off my soapbox, I will say this about athletes: If the owners were held fully accountable for the actions of their athletes as in losing their franchise or going to jail for any infractions, sports would soon be cleaned up. There is too much upside to cheat and not enough downside if they are caught. White collar people are deathly afraid of jail and more should share in the experience (same should also apply to CEOs).
Posted by: Mark Dennen | February 15, 2013 at 05:20 AM
Alyna
The problem in our society is these people who should be spending more time taking responsibility are spending their time strategizeing on how to blame someone else.
Their problems are how to explain their wonderful tan when they come back to problem after problem they should have been solving instead of sitting at the beach.
Posted by: Alyna | February 15, 2013 at 07:17 AM
Not famous or rich
I am not a CEO. Not even a nano one. I am also not sure how the dialogue turned to CEO bashing. But it proves Rajiv’s point. More money more responsibility- of justifying to others why they deserved to make that money :)
On a serious note- Each of the genre mentioned- has at some point made big sacrifices: Athletes- intense training with no time free time. CEOs- time away from friends and family- and by the time they made the 6 homes in 5 countries- maybe they didn’t have any opportunity to enjoy youth like I did. Each of them has a talent different/more than most- So I cannot grudge them the wealth. Politicians- I am not going there.
What I am angered by is when Athletes, performers, or those in power go rogue- and are not held to the same legal and or moral standards as the common man is. What saddens me is that they forget the hard work they put in to get to where they are- and show a blatant disregard for social norm. But how did they become so irresponsible? We helped. The coach that allows the High school football star to make up tests not permitted to the non athlete student. The board of directors which allows infractions while the stock is high; The fans who pay to go to the game or movie and then discuss the scandal.
Makes it easy to forget that you are now a role model with accountability.
So:More money more responsibility - Yes
More money more responsible? No.
More money ≠ Leader
Posted by: Not famous or rich | February 15, 2013 at 09:41 AM
Posted by: FR team | May 27, 2016 at 10:47 AM
Must watch about Ukraine Politician held accountable by The People. Same treatment needs for other Politicans CEOs and Public Figures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW49czt3i6k
Posted by: Entertained | May 27, 2016 at 11:42 AM