Leadership insights from Justin Menkes

Narcissism: The Difference Between High Achievers and Leaders

by Justin Menkes, July 4, 2012

A chief executive had a dilemma. After working in a fast-growing company as COO, he accepted an offer from venture capitalists to start his own company. Within five years he had built a new enterprise generating revenues over $300 million and profit margins so high that his company had compiled a substantial cash reserve with which it was poised to go on an acquisition run. His passion, strategic and analytical brilliance, and relentless focus on practical results made him a rare, virtually unstoppable force in industry.

So what was his problem? He was irreplaceable, at least according to his board. It was the board’s fundamental responsibility to protect the shareholders’ interests with a viable succession plan, and for this they simply had no acceptable answer. They demanded that he find a solution.

He asked me for counsel:

Justin, I have two people on my team that I think can grow into my role. But my board vehemently disagrees and thinks I vastly overestimate their long-term potential to actually run a company. They’re both superstars. How do I know which one — or if either one — can make the leap, or whether this is just a pipe dream that’s going to waste a lot of time, money, and focus?

It’s a good question, one I’m often asked. How do you know when someone can make the leap from high performer to CEO? There is one driving factor that determines the answer: narcissism.

Those selected for development have one universal trait in common: They are by definition high achievers. But there is a difference between those superstar achievers that can make the leap to CEO and those that will implode: To what degree do they feel invigorated by the success and talent of others, and to what degree does the success of others cause an involuntary pinch of insecurity about their own personal inadequacies? Only an individual who feels genuinely invigorated by the growth, development, and success of others can become an effective leader of an enterprise. And it remains the most common obstacle of success for those trying to make that leap.

There is powerful evidence  that narcissists have difficulty forging long-term relationships. Because narcissists are continuously seeking recognition from others to  reinforce their own self-worth, they tend to form new relationships where they can see a positive reflection of themselves in the other person’s eye. However, because of their obsession with analyzing events around them to see what they suggest about their own identities, they also exhaust those relationships. In leadership positions, this leaves  colleagues feeling like collective efforts are being used to increase a single narcissist leader’s ego, rather than a team’s shared goals.

Keeping an eye on the high achiever’s relationships and self-promotion certainly helps to see if your candidate is a narcissist. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory also has several questions that suggest how to further clarify an individual’s level of narcissism, including:

Are the individual’s relationships with others based on honest, intimate exchanges, or are they formed using a dynamic that regularly reinforces the narcissist’s role as a “hero”? Does the individual often talk about how his star qualities make him distinct from his peers? Does he like to be the center of attention? Does the remark, “I insist on getting the respect that is due me,” resonate with his worldview?

If you answered “yes” to many of the questions above, chances are you’re describing a high achiever who possesses a costly level of narcissism. But there are ways to help these individuals make the leap from high achievers to leaders.

First, coach them to continuously attribute credit to others for any successful project. Point out how this will produce long-term rewards because others will see that the projects they’re responsible for produce successful outcomes. In the end, other talented people will vie to work with them and give them their best, further improving their track records of disseminating success.

Then, press hard against any behaviors that self-aggrandize. Frame the lesson in a language that high achievers can understand: If their intent is to get ahead, self-promotion is likely doing just the opposite over the long term. It is in their self-interest to change.

Individuals with extreme levels of insecurity — those that cannot remain stable while seeing others succeed — will fail in leadership. In these cases, you may need to arrange psychological interventions that get to the root of their insecurities and help them heal if they are to become successful leaders.

While elevated narcissism and self-promotion has been shown to result in quicker promotion early in one’s career, its negative impacts are revealed in positions of higher authority. In these positions, blind ambition becomes its own worst enemy. In identifying these traits early and combating them through mentorship, you can transform these high achievers into quality leaders.

GBF Leadership Awards

GBF Leadership Awards presented to National University of Singapore, Indian School of Business and Georgia Institute of Technology MBA students

The Conference, founded in 1983, aims to engage student leaders and enhance leadership skills through active participation in best practice student government and leadership workshops, learn from global business leaders and inspirational innovators and share global views on responsible and sustainable leadership practices. The GBF announces with pleasure that the winner and host of the GBF’s 30th Anniversary, the 2013 global Graduate Business Conference will be the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India (www.isb.edu).At the Leadership Awards banquet and gala GBF VP Wieteke Dupain, GBF founder Jim Deveau and Simon School of Business Dean Mark Zupan honoured three student leaders and one company for their exceptional leadership, innovation and achievements within the global MBA community. The 2012 Student Leadership Awards were presented to Varun Mittal from National University of Singapore and Santosh Mohanram of the Indian School of Business. The 2012 Responsible Leadership Award was presented to Angela Behnken and her team including Shilpa AryaCarter Posey and Chris Chandler from Georgia Institute of TechnologyConstellation Brands received the 2012 Business Leadership Award.

Varun Mittal from the National University of Singapore received the GBF 2012 Student Leadership Award for his ability to implement his vision for an integrated IT platform which allows NUS MBA’s to overcome the challenges of communication and continuity both during and after the MBA. While his efforts will allow NUS MBA’s to sustain their MBA email addresses for life, the primary focus was to maximize productivity through a unified web portal, create a knowledge management system to maintain best practice legacies, and establish a common multimedia repository across all NUS MBA departments by synchronizing various existing social media initiatives. Mr. Mittal took the initiative to analyze the current challenges, motivate fellow classmates to leverage their knowledge and ability to create viable solutions and skilfully negotiated and collaborated with industry leaders like Google to create an independent system.

Santosh Mohanram from the Indian School of Business also received the GBF 2012 Student Leadership Award to recognize his selfless contribution to classmates and the schools’ quality of education for setting up a peer to peer teaching initiative which enabled increased development, collaboration and learning.  He conducted revision sessions, within a competitive MBA environment, in which his classmates could contribute and realise their full potential in preparation for their post MBA careers.  Though his academic sessions were often attended by more than 100 students, he further managed and led development for a new “ISB Student Wiki” initiative to create a sustainable knowledge repository.

The GBF 2012 Responsible Leader Award was bestowed upon a team of 4 student leaders from the Georgia Institute of TechnologyAngela BehnkenShilpa Arya,Carter Posey and Chris Chandler for establishing the Georgia Tech MBA Community Fund.  As a result of three life changing events within Georgia Tech’s MBA community, this student led initiative recognizes the value of support and community during times of crisis.  With no institutionalized program to support its community in need, the group overcame the challenges to establish this Fund and successfully initiate sustainable requests for funding. Their tenacity led them to create an annual allotment protocol to subsidize the Fund in addition to initiatives to receive contributions from students, faculty, staff and alumni and establish a legacy program with which to support each other in times of need.

Constellation Brands received the 2012 Business Leadership award for their contributions to the Simon School of Business, strong support for education and the community at large.

Winners of the GBF 2011 Responsible Leadership Award, Robert Seiler, Eric Seidnerand Alex Song from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) returned to present an update about their Carbon Neutral initiative.  An inspirational presentation from the students outlined how they initiated their program and successfully manoeuvred challenges towards implementation.  They also presented a “How To” guide for organisations and Universities to begin their own carbon mitigation journey.  The team will continue their efforts on behalf of the GBF to seek out, support and encourage other Responsible Leadership projects among student leaders globally within top tier MBA programs.

Wieteke Dupain, GBF VP, said: “Every year we’re impressed by the high quality of nominations coming in from all over the world. The Leadership Awards provide recognition, but mostly it is about sharing highly inspirational and successful initiatives within the global Business School community. It is important local best practices and knowledge on how to set up successful programs are shared around the world as it inspires and translates in more successful initiatives that can make a difference in the quality of education and the global community”.

Full press release available.

2nd Alumni Summit at GBC 2012

NEWS: 2012 Alumni Summit at Simon School of Business in Rochester, New York.

The 2012 Annual Alumni Summit was held as a parallel event to the Graduate Business Conference from March 29-31.

The Alumni Summit provides a great opportunity to hang out with the people you met from your conference, to connect with other alumni from other years (all the way back to 1983), and to share your experience with the current presidents. All former GBC attendees and organizers, albeit a select group, are invited.

If you are a former GBC organizer or a delegate we would love for you to join us at the Alumni Summit! More information and registration is available at the official conference page.

To read about the Alumni Summit at ESADE in Barcelona last year click on this link.

Also, make sure you sign up for the GBF Official Alumni Group at LinkedIn to keep up to date with all the latest information on GBF-sponsored Groups, Local Events and Announcements!

Testimonials from 2011 Alumni Summit attendees:

“The Alumni Summit at GBC2011 was great, it felt like going back to school, offered valuable insight into my business and a great weekend with friends!”
Francesco Bovoli, IdeaPlane, GBC 2009 Alumn,

“The GBC 2011 in Barcelona was an incredible experience to meet up again with all the charismatic and energetic people you spent many hours in workshops together in previous years.”
Gregor Hasler, PwC, GBC 2007 Alumn

“For the first time for alumni the summit provided a unique chance of interacting with the GBF community and current delegates. Not only was the program of the summit quite
culturally diverse with many social events and networking opportunities, but it also perfectly matched particular interests and needs of alumni, for example in career coaching.”
Sergey Logunov, Rusfoodmanagement Ltd. (RFM), GBC 2010 Alumn

“GBF is an excellent forum to find people with your same interests and share enriching experiences. I really enjoy the opportunity of reconnect with alumni and now talk not only about the MBA/school, but also about work and personal projects. It is helping on creating a great, strong and global network that can be present in our daily lives.”
Claudia Legoff, Lean Six Sigma Institute, 2009 Alumn

“This was my 7th GBC and my experience only improved with adding alumni delegates. I am constantly impressed by the people who attend GBCs. Nowhere else do I find such a devotion and determination to change the world for the better among the participants – that is amazingly inspiring and helps my personnel development tremendously. I’m back in 2012!”
Peter Kiaer, PA Consulting, 2005 Alumn and former CEO of Graduate Business Forum

GBC 2012

THE GRADUATE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (GBC) IS THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL MBA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. THE GOAL OF THE GBC IS TO BRING TOGETHER STUDENT LEADERS FROM THE WORLD’S TOP BUSINESS SCHOOLS TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES, DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO COMMON ISSUES AND PROMOTE A STRONG NETWORK AMONG THE PARTICIPATING MBA STUDENTS, WHILE ENRICHING THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

The conference is attended by the incoming and outgoing presidents from the top 50 MBA programs worldwide. It has empowered these leaders to make a positive impact through their activities within their own business schools and later in the companies and organizations they join.

THE GBC 2012 TOOK PLACE AT THE SIMON GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER IN ROCHESTER, NY, USA ON MARCH 29

About The Simon Graduate School of Business

You’ve always stood out among your peers. Now it’s time to make your mark on the rest of the world. A Simon full-time, part-time or Executive MBA, MS degree, executiveeducation or PhD is where the journey begins—where thinkers become leaders, and where leaders create a legacy of success.

Due to our small size, internationally diverse student population and team-study approach, there is an opportunity for substantive, globally enriching interaction with faculty and fellow students. Simon gives you the tools you need to solve business problems creatively and to make tough decisions in real-world situations. You’ll achieve a superior level of leadership, both personally and professionally, in an environment that’s impressive all the way around: From our world-class curriculum and faculty to the inspiring Ivy League beauty of our riverside campus.

Simon is a place to stand up and stand out—a place that will leave an impression on you for the rest of your life.

http://gbc.simon.rochester.edu/

SIMON’S GRADUATE BUSINESS COUNCIL

The student government at Simon, the Graduate Business Council, is the principal means by which students shape their Simon experience and that of future classes. The Council strives to assist the Simon School in producing well-rounded students, with valuable experiences both in and outside of the classroom. This is accomplished by fostering communication, respect and understanding between students, faculty, staff and alumni in order to maintain and enhance the Simon School in the spirit of Meliora…ever better.

PA Consulting Group Delivers on Strategizing GBF’s Future Vision

GRADUATE BUSINESS FORUM VISION 2016 AND STRATEGY PROJECT

As part of PA Consulting Group’s  ‘Volunteering and Giving back’ scheme* we are pleased to announce that Peter Kiaer (GBC 2006 – 11) has agreed to lead a project to develop a strategic direction and plan to drive GBF over the next 5-10 years.

Mr. Kaier is employed by PA Consulting Group and will work closely with GBF leadership in the project, which will also include input from current student leaders and former GBC attendees as well as B-school management.

PA Consulting Group is highly supportive of the GBF mission of supporting responsible leadership and global citizenship , which is very much in tune with PA’s own values. PA Consulting Group is undertaking this project without fees.

Mr. Kaier has assembled a mixed team of PA consultants and GBF Alumni to support the project comprising:

PA Senior Sponsor – Mikkel Poedenphant (partner)

Project Team:

  • Peter Kiaer
  • Martin Petersen Lennards
  • Piers Sanders
  • Simon Witt
  • Torben Smedegaard
  • Morten Soerensen
  • Kadri Kinkar
  • Andy Dickinson (Head of GBC 2009)

The project runs from April to October 2011.

Our thanks go to PA Consulting Group and the team for their support on this crucial project.

Niall O’Hea – Chairman

*PA Consulting Group runs an annual ‘Giving Back & Volunteering’ program to allow employees to contribute to the betterment of society.  The program is fully supported by the firm and employees can allocate work time to run these projects with the expectation that they are delivered to an equivalent level of quality to fee-based assignments.. To ensure quality each project has a senior leader sponsor.

Prestigious 2011 GBF Student Leadership Awards bestowed upon CEIBS and Johnson at Cornell students

11 April 2011 (LONDON) – Students from S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and Indian School of Business (ISB) have walked away with top honours for their contributions to the areas of sustainability and student government at this year’s 2011 global Graduate Business Conference, hosted by the Graduate Business Forum (GBF) and ESADE Business School. Over 130 student government leaders and alumni drawn from the top 50 global business schools and MBA programs met at ESADE in Barcelona from March 30 to April 2 to share best practices on student government, global views on responsible leadership and learn from global business, industry leaders and each other.

At the annual Friday night GBF Awards Banquet and Gala, Professor Kenneth Morse, serial entrepreneur and founding Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center and Jim Deveau, GBF founder, presented the 2011 GBF Awards and Cisco and Thomson Reuters sponsored Grants.

Robert Seiler, Eric Seidner and Alex Song from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) were presented with the GBF 2011 Responsible Leadership Award and a Cisco and Thomson Reuters sponsored $2000 grant for their vision and delivery of a strategy and five year business plan to make CEIBS the first 100% carbon neutral business school in the world. Their plan estimates that at the CEIBS campus in Shanghai they can deliver a positive net present value of 18 million RMB (2,74 million USD/ 1,95 million EURO) and a reduction of 4,000 tons CO2e annually; approximately equivalent to CO2e absorption of approximately 16,000 trees, driving a car 500 times around the world, or flying the complete CEIBS MBA class in a Boeing 737 2,5 times around the world.

Hannah Dupes and Cara O’Connor from the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University received the GBF 2011 Student Leadership Award and a Cisco and Thomson Reuters sponsored $2250 grant as a result of their work to transform the student leadership program. As the President and VP of the Cornell
Student Council, they put forward a proposal to restructure and introduce a fresh take on the student leadership development program. Initially unpopular, due to a reduction in the number of leadership positions and student clubs, they were able to gain the respect and support of the MBA student body and university administration through their highly consultative and data-driven approach to the program redesign. Incoming student leaders have participated in the first leadership development program cycle and arrived at GBC2011 stating this program as an absolute best practice of their School.

Runner up and finalist Atma Shivalanka from Indian School of Business (ISB) was specifically recognized for the outstanding leadership during his Presidency. He raised the quality and professionalism of the student leadership organization to a level only a few Schools at the global level can compete with and became a highly valued ambassador of the School.

“We increasingly receive nominations for highly inspiring initiatives that are scalable and have the potential to positively affect not only the Business Schools at which they were conceived, but Business Schools and companies around the world,” said Wieteke Dupain, GBF Vice President. “We have decided this year to bestow not only the
Student Leadership Award, which we already hand out for over 20 years, but also a Responsible Leadership Award and Grants as part of GBF’s increasing focus on encouraging sustainable business practices. Our goal in 2011 is to create a GBF Responsible Leadership Fund that will connect corporations and our 3000 plus alumni, encouraging the development of partnerships to fund and support sustainable initiatives – such as the carbon neutral strategy proposed by CEIBS”.

“The GBF Student and Responsible Leadership Awards and Grants are ways of recognizing the contributions that individual students and teams make to the development of their own schools and communities on the global MBA playing field. Hannah, Cara, Robert, Eric, Alex and Atma are exemplars and role models for global Business School
students and communities on how vision, tenacity, creativity in approach and definite leadership can make a real difference and leave a lasting legacy to the benefit of all involved. Since the role of the GBF is to help graduate students to develop responsible leadership and global citizenship we will continue to support these finalists and their
causes in the future”

About the Graduate Business Forum

Established in 1983, the Graduate Business Forum (GBF) (www.graduatebusinessforum.com) is a global organization dedicated to developing responsible leadership and global citizenship, with influence, through an exclusive network of student leaders and alumni from the world’s top 50 business schools.

The GBF runs a number of activities to support the development of leadership skills for business school students through newsletters, shared knowledge platforms and networking events including the annual Graduate Business Conference (GBC) (http://gbc.esadembasa.com/gbc2011.html), hosted by one of the GBF member schools, drawn from the top 50 business schools and MBA programs globally.

Over the last quarter century, the GBF has seen:

  •  +3,000 student leaders participating in GBCs
  •  +30 countries with participating business schools
  •  +300 forums and workshops helping inspire future leaders by the exchange of leadership initiatives, improved organizational approaches for student governments, implementation of new student initiatives, and an increased consciousness towards social responsibility and ethical leadership.
  • +100 corporate executives, government officials and other leaders who have contributed time and inspiration
  • Countless projects around the world fueled by inspirations from GBF participation that made a positive difference in the world

About the Student leadership Award

The Student Leadership Award (SLA) and Responsible Leadership Awards (RLA) and Grants are ways of recognizing the contributions that individual students and teams make to the development of their own schools and associated communities.
The Student Leadership Award was introduced in 1991 by the Board of Directors of the Graduate Business Forum to recognize outstanding leadership, innovation and a commitment to the greater community at the graduate business level. The Awards are open to full-time graduate business students of GBF member schools participating in the
annual Graduate Business Conference. The award is presented at the Student Leadership Award Commemorative Banquet and Gala at the annual Graduate Business Conference. Previous presenters of the Awards include HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and President S.R. Nathan of Singapore

GBC 2011 To Welcome Alumni

*NEWSFLASH* The Graduate Business Forum is excited to announce that – for the first time in its history – the Graduate Business Conference will be welcoming GBC alumni. Attendees of previous conferences will be invited to attend on April 1-2, 2011 for the biggest alumni reunion in the history of the GBF.

Official invitations will be sent via the GBF LinkedIn Group. If you’re not signed up already, you can become a member by following the link under the “Follow Us Online” section.

Cisco Confirmed As GBF Sponsor

The GBF Executive Team is extremely proud to confirm Cisco Systems, Inc. as the GBF lead sponsor for 2010-11. Funding from Cisco will be used to help extend the reach of GBF and to raise its profile among prospective and current MBA students in addition to the wider business community.
GBF CEO Siobhan Clarke commented “This is a great starting point for the GBF and will provide the resources and impetus we need to execute on our wider strategic vision.”

As part of the sponsorship, Cisco aims to leverage the GBF Network as a source of talent acquisition. Glen Wilson, Cisco University Relations Manager for EMEA said “As a rapidly growing organization, its vital that we stay ahead of the curve in identifying and recruiting top talent. Business school students are top of our list and no network is better placed than GBF to help us make those all important connections”.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate.

ESADE Unveiled As GBC 2011 Host

We are pleased to announce the 29th Annual Graduate Business Conference will be hosted by ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. The conference will begin on March 30 and end on April 2, 2011.

The GBF executive team is working closely with the ESADE conference team to plan the best conference yet. Notices are being sent to member schools, news organizations, government officials, and industry leaders to participate in the upcoming conference.

If you are interested in attending as a member school delegate, participating as a sponsor, contributing content, or reporting on the event, please contact a member of the GBF Executive Team.

Prof. S.H. Lee Named As GBF Honorary Adviser

As a new Honorary Advisor to the Graduate Business Forum, Prof. S.H. Lee will be regularly contributing to [GBF Newsletter] Visum and to our soon to be launched blog. His extensive knowledge and experience of leadership and its practical application will directly benefit GBF members and provide some of the deeper insight to allow us to question the existing norms on Leadership.

S.H. Lee is Professor of Leadership and Strategic Talent Management at Taiwan National Chengchi University. He is also Visiting Professor for the EMBA programs at Beijing Tsing Hua University and Taiwan Tsing Hua University, and the Beijing Tsing Hua & INSEAD Dual Degree International EMBA program. His areas of interest include Leadership Development, Organization Development & Transformation, Strategic Talent Management, and Performance Management. He was voted “Taiwan Top 20 EMBA Professors” (2004, 2006, & 2008). He also provides very selective executive coaching and customized leadership development programs for senior executives in several renowned international companies across various industries. He is also a member of the editorial board for the Taiwan edition of Harvard Business Review.

Prof. Lee had retired from his corporate career since January 2004 to focus on his interest in management education.He has strong passion and dedication in helping business executives enhance their leadership quality and strategic focus of talent management. He had extended his impact internationally through his international students; so far more than 3,000 students from more than 40 countries had attended Prof. Lee’s courses. His unique course on “Confucianism and Leadership in the 21st Century” (in English) is very popular, where he introduces to international students the ancient wisdoms of Confucius and explores it’s practical applications in today’s leadership challenges, and in bridging the cultural gap between the east and the west.

Prof. Lee was the Corporate VP for Human Resources at TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductors) from 1998 through 2003 where he lead the transformation of the HR function from a traditional administrative role into one that focuses on partnering line managers to leverage people as the strategic asset in driving business performance. During this period, TSMC grew from 6,000 to 17,000 employees; and from US$2 Billion to US$6 Billion in revenue. TSMC also became “Top 10 Semiconductor Companies in the World”; “Best Employers in Asia”; “The Best Managed Company in Taiwan”; and “The Most Preferred Employer by University Graduates in Taiwan”.

Prior to joining TSMC, Prof. Lee had extensive management experiences, including: Regional VP for Asia Pacific, Lucent Technologies; General Manager for Greater China, Polaroid Corporation; Country Manager for China, GE Medical Systems; Regional Manager for South East Asia, Du Pont Corporation.

Prof. Lee was born and raised in Singapore. He traveled extensively around the world and lived in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taiwansince 1989. He had solidinternational management experience since 1981 and has good appreciation of the different cultures and management practices in the east and west.

Prof. Lee graduated from the prestigious Sloan Fellowship Program at the Stanford University with a Master of Science in Management.