Working Within a Cult of Personality

I am politically agnostic, but fascinated by the human dynamics within our political process. And in that spirit, the Trump administration offers some exceptional lessons and insights for anyone who works within an organization headed by a powerful, charismatic personality.

For many people, working within a cult of cersonality can be frustrating and toxic. But if you understand and accept the "rules" of working within a cult of personality, it is possible to have a productive and satisfying work life. If you don't, then the best career advice for you is to move on as quickly as possible. Because it will never get better for you. The cult of personality culture does not change for you - you either bend to it, or it will break you.

(Note: below is an excerpt from my book "Workplace Poker: Are You Playing the Game, or Just Getting Played?")

The cult of personality is an organization that revolves around the ego of one key leader. North Korea under Kim Jung Un would be the most extreme example, but there are plenty in the business world including Anna Wintour, Marissa Mayer, Steve Jobs, and yes... Donald Trump.

There is only one way to survive emotionally and psychologically in this type of culture. First recognize that everything—everything—is about propping up the leader. Then observe carefully what the leader expects from underlings and do your best to comply with those expectations. And accept that your efforts may never be enough. The leader may never, ever be fully satisfied. Or may never give you the satisfaction of knowing that he or she is satisfied.

You can recognize the craziness of this type of culture and still make a conscious, reasonable decision to work there, because sometimes the price you pay is worth the benefits you receive. If you are exceptionally well paid, or gain extraordinary experience and/or industry contacts that would be unavailable anywhere else, sometimes it makes perfect sense to work within a cult of personality. But—and this is a BIG but—you should always have an exit timeline and strategy. Never, never let yourself think that this is your long-term career. Many people fall into the trap of the personality cult, becoming so used to the odd requests and unreasonable demands that they forget what the real world is like and how real humans treat other real humans. Over time, a cult of personality WILL erode your own psyche, so work there if you choose to—as long as you have a plan to eventually get out.

Beth Waldrup was hired as the director of marketing for a top-tier architectural firm, working for an owner with a well-known reputation for being extremely talented, difficult, picky, and unpredictable. “I thought I was coming in with my eyes wide open, I had heard all the stories about his quirky and demanding behavior,” she says now, “but I had worked for a plain vanilla corporate architectural firm for several years and I really wanted to experience something more creative.” Beth expected it to be difficult working for a demanding boss. “But I had no idea. After two months I was pretty sure that I was losing my mind.”

She had been advised by others in the business to make sure the owner approved all expenses in advance, but when she met with him to get approvals he snapped at her. “What do you think I’m paying you for?” he demanded. “I don’t need to be involved in every little shit decision. Now go do your job!”

So two days later she approved the budget for a photo shoot related to one of their newly completed projects. She supervised the shoot and later brought in the final photos for the owner to review. The building was amazing and the photos were great so she was shocked when the owner’s response was “Who the hell approved this?!”

Things just went downhill from there. Beth thought she had found a “friend” at the office with whom she could confide her doubts and frustrations. This person eventually shared Beth’s concerns with the owner’s admin assistant (with whom he was having an affair) and so of course the owner eventually heard all of the details. There was a brief shining moment when the owner acknowledged the results of a marketing campaign Beth had spearheaded, but this tiny scrap of positive recognition seemed to make everyone else jealous. “I came to realize that I wasn’t dealing with one crazy person,” she says. “I had the whole asylum to work with.”

Beth managed to work in this environment for three full years, but she was only able to do so (and stay sane in the process) by following three rules for working in a cult of personality:

• Know exactly why you’re doing it and know your endgame (including timeline).
• Trust no one, and understand that most are playing the same game you are. The rest are TRULY nuts.
• Give the Personality all the ego stroking he or she demands, but expect nothing in return. Do not expect consistency, reliability, or integrity.

The leader in a cult of personality has learned over time that he or she does not have to follow the same rules as everyone else. From a career advancement standpoint my general advice would be to run like hell from any of these people—UNLESS there is a specific and potentially career-enhancing reason to stay.

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If you want to learn more about "Workplace Poker" you can listen to a recent interview on Wharton Business Radio: