A634.3.4.RB - The Harder They Fall

In an article entitled “The Harder They Fall,” Roderick Kramer (2003) discussed the fact that many leaders of large corporations have followed a similar course to get to the top of their careers. And then they fall, hard.  “Admired leaders — not just in business but also in politics, religion, and the media — are finding themselves in a similar free fall.  One moment they are masters of their domain.  The next they are on the pavement looking up, wondering where they went wrong” (Kramer, 2003, p. 58).  

The path these leaders take to get to the top requires aggressiveness, determination, and sacrifice.  They are confronted with several dilemmas on the path to the top.  These are winner-takes-all job markets where there are only a limited number of “top spots” in industry.  However, there are a relatively large number of qualified candidates.  Moving up the ranks is like a tournament where candidates are eliminated in each round.  “As you make it through successive rounds, the pool of worthy candidates narrows, the margin for error is much smaller, and the competition intensifies” (Kramer, 2003, p. 60).   Many of these leaders have taken shortcuts and backdoors to move quickly up the corporate ladder.  “Many . . . believe that breaking the rules is not only necessary for getting ahead, it is virtually an act of creativity” (Kramer, 2003, p. 62).  This willingness to break the rules to get what they want puts these leaders in a dangerous position.  Perhaps it is a forewarning of their inclination to be unethical in their future business dealings.  Many of these powerhouse leaders get into their positions through unbelievable personal sacrifice.  They put their careers ahead of their families and what is really most important.  As they gain power and prestige they begin to have an unrealistic vision of their own importance.  They forget the people that helped them get into those positions.

Social Dilemmas.

Everyone faces dilemmas throughout their life.  Some affect society at large, others are encountered through our jobs, and others are of an individual nature.  Many social dilemmas occur when the lure of immediate rewards outweighs the long term consequences (Platt, 1973).  One example of a societal dilemma is the issue about gun control.  On the one hand we as a people enjoy freedom.  We pride ourselves for being “The Land of the Free.”  We don’t want our freedoms encroached upon or taken away.  However, we also want to feel safe.  We want to ensure that our children can attend school, and that we can go to the mall, the movie theater, or shopping without feeling that our life is at risk.  Are we willing to give up a portion of our freedom to gain a feeling of safety and security?  Do the immediate rewards of gun control outweigh the potential future cost of freedom?  Leaders must weigh the immediate rewards and the long term costs of their decisions and actions.

Dilemmas at Work

I believe the most common work dilemma involves time and priorities.  I doubt that most people decide to put work before family.  However, as demands at the workplace increase it is easy for family to slip out of first place.  The pursuit of promotions, increased salary, or social status may seem like a worthy cause.  When we face this kind of dilemma we must consider what the cost is and what we stand to lose.  

Several years ago when I was flying in the Gulf of Mexico I was offered the opportunity to transition into the AW139.  At the time I was flying the AS350, which is a much smaller, much simpler aircraft.  There was a long list of pilots waiting for the opportunity to transition, and I was asked by my chief pilot if I wanted the opportunity.  I was excited about possibly moving up into a much larger, much more complex helicopter.  However, as I considered that it would mean that I would be away from my family regularly for several days at a time I quickly realized it was not what I wanted.  I had decided from the time that I was young that my family would be my highest priority.  I had decided that my career was there to support my family, not the other way around.  I turned down the offer and continued to fly the smaller helicopter for several years.  Leaders have to decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to make it to the top.

Dilemmas in My Life

A little over a year ago my wife and I faced a dilemma that would affect our family.  I had been with my employer for over 12 years.  I had a great job that paid well and allowed me plenty of time to spend with my family.  It was really the dream job.  The problem was that we were over 1,500 miles from our nearest relative.  We had handled it for the 12 years we had been there just fine, but we always planned to move back out west to be closer to family.  Then an opportunity came to me.  A good friend called and told me there was an open pilot position in a part of the country we wanted to live in.  I applied for the job and was given an offer of employment.  The problem was the salary that was offered was significantly less than I was making at the time, and less than I expected to be offered.  We had a tough decision to make: stay at the current job far from family that paid well, or move to be closer to family but take a huge pay cut?  We ultimately decided that the life we wanted to live included the job change and move.  We felt that the pay cut would be worth it in the long run.  We moved almost a year ago and have not looked back!  Leaders have to decide where they will find real, lasting happiness and success.

Leaders don’t have to follow the path of a meteoric climb to the top followed by a crash back to the bottom.  There are many leaders who have been able to remain grounded and find lasting success in executive positions.  Kramer (2003) indicated that many of these successful leaders share similar traits.  One of the most important things a leader can do is stay humble despite their success.  “The best way of developing humility is to remind ourselves of what really matters in life” (Kramer, 2003, p. 64).  They do not hide their failures and shortcomings through denial or cover-ups.  They see them as an opportunity to learn and improve.  Every dilemma we face has the potential to point us in a new direction.  We must constantly be checking to make sure we are headed in the direction we want to be going.

References

Kramer, R. M. (2003). The harder they fall. Harvard Business Review, 81(10), 58.

Platt, J (1973). "Social traps". American Psychologist. 28 (8): 641–651. doi:10.1037/h0035723.