Winning Ugly

A successful CEO needn’t be nice.  In fact, he or she can win ugly by putting relentless pressure on subordinates to produce better, faster and more efficiently.  That is apparently the harsh style of this CEO.  He might not win awards for humanity, but year after year he puts numbers in the win column.  From a PR perspective, he might be a leader heading for a fall.  It is in difficult circumstances like this that subordinates will take to cheating to make their numbers.  They fear what will happen to them if they fall behind, so they jigger the system to look better.  It doesn’t always happen this way.  Some managers thrive under intense pressure.  They look on the CEO as a winning coach, and they are willing to endure his intensity to achieve greatness year after year.  One can’t say that one leadership style is better than any other.  The proof is in the results.