Success Factors

A recent editorial in the New York Times Sunday Review¹ revealed why certain groups have advanced in society more than others. The article described three learned traits that when present accelerate the potential for long-term success on various measures. The first trait is a "a deep-seated belief in [one's] exceptionality." ^{1 (p. 1)} The second trait is a strange contrast to the first and is the conviction that what one does is never "good enough" (the article calls this low self-esteem). While the second trait could be viewed as a drive for perfectionism, the article is referring to a healthy striving for progress. The third trait is the control of one's own behavior and more specifically "impulse control."¹ These individuals restrain their negative behaviors.  

The article also identified the various cultural groups that have excelled  -- Indian-Americans, Iranians, Lebanese, Chinese-Americans, Mormons, Jews, and Nigerians.¹ The article revealed that it was not a gift of birth or wealth but rather a formation of the three traits in their children. In other words, these traits are accessible and can be instilled by all parents.  

What was most troubling about the article's message was that American society now holds only the superiority belief.¹  The article suggests American society has become accepting (leading to entitlement) and has waned on impulse control, whereby it is perfunctory to cut people off in traffic, "lose it" when things don't go our way or have fun at the expense of others.   It is important to understand the message of this Op-Ed piece in the context of leading others. 

Leaders need a significant degree of confidence, and a sense of superiority is a parallel attitude; it is reasonable that these beliefs enable the accomplishment of objectives in the complex environments typically faced. However, leaders must also have a degree of humility to counterbalance the behaviors these ideas might generate; know-it-all leaders rarely survive. Thus, one could say that part of being superior is the recognition of fallibility; an odd combination but needed.

With regards to the not-good-enough belief, leaders must accept that in one's personal development is always and forever a work in progress -- never finished. This is needed regardless of the continuous messaging from their parents that they are always doing well.¹ How can a leader make this happen? A possible answer is to resist the natural temptation to satisfice. Satisficing is "the tendency to search for alternatives only until one is found that meets some minimum standards." ^{2 (p. 284)} When leaders allow this they are accepting lower-quality outcomes.  

The final trait regards impulse control; leaders do not have the luxury of behaving as they wish. Instead, a leader is always on stage and always being scrutinized by those who are following. A leader who lashes out at any worker will reduce his or her ability to lead that person and or others. Leaders need to exercise more control than others in the workplace; they can earn the right to be more relaxed once trust has been earned. Until that time, a leader needs to be sensitive to what their behaviors and words cause.  For example, the leader who berates a staff member in a meeting may engender fear among the witnesses. 

So far I have described the importance of leaders becoming unconsciously competent in these three traits (all are important), but what about the fact that workers may enter the workplace with only a sense of superiority? What is a leader to do? Many researchers believe that society is experiencing an increase in the trait of narcissism.³ If true, this confirms a deep-seated problem in our society and its workers. Leaders do not have the means to fix this issue, but they are compelled to respond.  

The antidote may rest in three mechanisms. The first is to create an organizational culture that requires continuous improvement.  Culture is defined as "a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations." ^{4 (p. 671)}  This means the leader will need to instill a burning desire among organizational members that "we must always improve." This shared understanding can override features of the missing traits.

The second is to incorporate into the cultural belief system that respect, integrity, honesty and fairness are the only acceptable behaviors allowed. Such a culture recognizes that impulses exist but are not always to be acted upon. 

Finally, leaders can act to increase motivational levels by attending to the characteristics of a job.⁴ For example, if a leader communicates the importance or purpose of the work, individuals will become more vested⁴ and more willing to go beyond levels of "good enough." In addition, providing ongoing feedback about how well one is doing can serve to illuminate gaps between desired and actual results; with this knowledge, workers may improve and strive to close known gaps. Most are willing to do this when it is known they are falling short.  

A final idea for improving is to make identification of the traits a part of the selection process and avoid hiring, to the extent possible, those who do not hold all three characteristics. 

Three traits when combined are important success factors, according the New York Times article.¹ The superiority trait is the only trait that U.S. society currently holds, which suggests there are deficiencies that need to be addressed by leaders in organizations. Ideas to work toward this solution have been identified. 

Feel free to make comments. 

Reference

¹ Chua, A., & Rubenfeld, J. (2014, Jan. 26, 2014). What Drives Success? [Op-Ed]: New York Times.

²  Griffin, R.W. (2011). Management (10th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

³ Twenge, J.M., & Campbell, W.K. (2009). The Narcissism Epidemic. New York: Free Press.

⁴ Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2013). Organizational Behavior (15th ed.). Boston: Pearson.