Tyrants at the Gate
Scott Monty
I help leadership teams in flux so they can communicate better and work together to improve performance and drive growth.
In business, in politics — they can be found everywhere
“A king rules over willing subjects, a tyrant over unwilling.”?— George Buchanan, 1579
I’ve been thinking a lot about authoritarians lately.
Maybe you have, too.
Call them autocrats, despots, strongmen, bullies, dictators, oppressors, tyrants — the names may differ, but their behaviors are the same.
I know you didn’t sign up for this newsletter for political commentary. Anyway, this is less political commentary than it is leadership commentary. Observations about certain tendencies of human nature that have played out over the centuries and across the continents, time and again.
There are forces afoot that affect all facets of our lives, from human rights to business regulations — forces that are bound up in a kind of dyspeptic and despotic leadership that increasingly pervades our existing systems.
And our job here is to draw lessons from them.
There are tyrants from the long past, like Julius Caesar and Napoleon, as well as from the last century and recent past, such as Fransisco Franco, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, and others.
And we see our fair of strongmen in the present: Jair Bolsonaro, Rodrigo Duterte, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump (and fast followers like?Ron DeSantis).
领英推荐
If you’ve spent any time in the workplace, you probably recognize similar traits that emerge from similar personalities: abuse of power, bullying, divisiveness, selfishness, narcissism, deceptions, and control dynamics.
And that’s really what the tyrant or strongman is all about:?control.
We’ve seen it repeatedly: the need to control and exploit others, typically done for personal gain—power and enrichment.
So the questions for today are: whether we come across them in the workplace or in our communities, how can we identify some of the characteristics of authoritarians, and more importantly, what can we do once we know they’re a threat?
In it, you'll find 5 characteristics of autocratic leaders to be aware of, advice on how to avoid or escape it, and a series of links with additional Timeless & Timely content on the topic.
I hope you'll continue reading.
Some of the source material:
Thanks, and I'll see you on the internet.
Helping leaders and teams survive and thrive in high pressure situations Performance & Stress Expert | Coach | Author Esports PD (MSI x 2, Worlds 2), Perf Coach Fnatic
2 年Scott from the U.K. I can tell you both sides of the political divide have authoritarian impulses clearly believing that people can’t be trusted and so need to be told and even forced to do what they think. All the while ignoring the rules they set out for others. “I’m doing this for your own good” is the language of a gaslighting abuser and they are everywhere and getting stronger. So by all means challenge the actions of de Santis and trump but what about Obama and Clinton and Biden? We are back to the age old question of can people be trusted to do the right thing? Right now the answer from our so called “leaders” is absolutely not. I would say “can our leaders be trusted to do what’s best for all of us without filling their own pockets?” Again the answer in the U.K. is a resounding No!
Clients value my support as a strategic thinking partner for business growth, a coach aware of the impact and potential of emerging technologies
2 年Yes. "abuse of power, bullying, divisiveness, selfishness, narcissism, deceptions, and control dynamics" I've been in the firing line of a couple of those. Each a masterful exponent of all of those behaviours. I tried at the time to give each of them the benefit of the doubt Not bad people or corrupt as far as I know - no doubt convinced of the righteousness of their behaviours. Wrecked my then career, but looking on the bright side that probably helped me look at new possiibilities. But it took a long time for me to really forgive them - I think I have ?? I feel for anyone having to deal with such people, especially on a daily basis, especially if depending on the job for mortgage payments.
Writer/Published Author Specialized Coaching & Counseling for Female Entrepreneurs **Hire Eric for One on One Coaching **Help with Your Transition **Help with Having a GrowingFREE SimpleLife
2 年ToDay's Tyrants are "Corporations", The Big Ones, yet I suspect it isn't very popular to call that out, as many of us "work for the man" They are labeled Corporations so that the Tyrant Gate Gate Keepers may hide behind the veil,...........Thoughts?