Just to prove and demonstrate superiority, the fixed-minded CEO firmly believes that he is superior

How did CEO and "strong self-awareness" become synonymous? If humble, growth-oriented people are the real leaders of the business, then why are so many companies looking for extraordinary people to be leaders — even though these leaders may end up caring more about themselves than the company?

It's all to blame for Lee Iacocca. James Sonovilleki wrote in Slate magazine that Iacocca's rise to fame was a turning point for American businesses.

Before him, the days of corporate tycoons and tycoons seemed to be long gone. In the eyes of the public, ceo means "a traditional corporate worker, well-paid, well-paid, but basically dull and lack of personality." But Iacocca changed all that. Financial journalists began referring to CEOs as "the next John Pierpont Morgan" or "the next Henry Ford." CEOs with a fixed mindset are starting to compete fiercely for these titles.

Sonovelki even blamed the recent corporate scandal on the twist, as CEOs were billed as superheroes as a result of the wave. But these people who show off themselves and constantly pursue more beautiful titles cannot promote the long-term and healthy development of the company.

Maybe Iacocca is just a charismatic person, but like rock and roll, he is saddled with the crime of a civilization destroyer. Is this fair? Let's take a closer look at people like Iacocca, and you'll see that they all believe that there are people in this world who are superior.

They all need to prove and show their superiority, and will use their subordinates to prove this, rather than to promote the development of subordinates. And in order to prove their superiority, they eventually sacrificed the interests of the company. Understanding fixed mindsets helps us understand where strong self-awareness comes from, how it works, and how it is self-defeating.

Warren Bennis, a master of the art of leadership, has studied the world's preeminent business leaders. These brilliant leaders say they didn't want to be leaders in the first place. They have no interest in proving themselves, but are doing what they love with great motivation and enthusiasm, and naturally have the next achievements.

Iacocca is not like that. Yes, he does love the automotive industry, but nothing compares to his desire to become a Ford tycoon. He aspired to be Henry Ford II, with an office decorated with royal emblems. He could prove his worth through these things, to prove himself to be a remarkable figure. I use the word "royal" for a reason.

Iacocca tells us that the glass building at Ford's headquarters is a palace, and that Henry Ford is the king of the palace. He also said, "If Henry is king, then I am the crown prince." "I am the darling of His Majesty the King." "All of us... Live a wonderful life in the royal palace. We are even more advanced than the upper class – we are royal... Waiters in white uniforms were available 24/7 and we would have lunch together in the executive restaurant... Every day at the dinner table, There are Dover flounders flown in from England. ”

Iacocca did a number of feats while at Ford, such as developing and promoting the Ford Mustang, and he dreamed of succeeding Henry Ford as CEO of the company, but Henry Ford did not think so. To Iacocca's shock and anger, Ford eventually kicked him out of the company.

Interestingly, Iacocca was shocked and held a grudge against Henry. After all, he had seen Henry Ford fire the top brass of the company, and he had fired many people himself, and he knew the rules of the game, but his fixed mindset disturbed his thinking: "I always believed that I was different, so in a way I felt smarter or luckier than others." 」 I never thought this would happen to me. ”

Iacocca was blinded by what she thought was her innate superiority. At this point, the other side of the fixed mindset began to affect him, and he began to wonder if Henry Ford had discovered any of his shortcomings. Maybe he's not that good. This is also the reason why he has not been able to let go.

A few years later, his second wife told him to stop thinking about it. "You don't realize that Henry Ford actually helped you a lot. After being fired by Ford, you're on your way to where you are today. You're now richer, more famous, and more influential than ever before, and it's all because of Henry Ford. You should thank him. Soon after, Iacocca divorced his wife.

His Majesty Henry, who had once thought him competent and worthwhile, had now abandoned him because of his shortcomings. Enraged, Iacocca began to implement his grand plan to save face, and joined Chrysler for this purpose.

Ford's once-biggest rival, Chrysler, was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time, but Iacocca, as the company's new CEO, quickly hired the right people, launched new models and lobbied the government for aid loans. After a few years of slipping out of Ford, he was finally able to publish an autobiography and write "Today, I'm a hero."

It wasn't long before Chrysler was in trouble again. Iacocca's fixed mindset doesn't keep him satisfied with the status quo, he needs to keep proving his greatness—more powerfully to himself, to Henry Ford, to the world. He spends his time building his public image, using the company's money to curry favor with Wall Street and boost Chrysler's stock price, but he is reluctant to invest money in new car design, improved production and other aspects that are conducive to the company's long-term development.

He also cares about historical evaluations, about how people will evaluate and remember him. But he didn't develop a company to get positive reviews of himself, instead, one of his biographers said he refused to approve the new plan because he was afraid his subordinates would be so well received by the new design.

He feared that in Chrysler's critical moments, his subordinates would become the company's new saviors, so he managed to get rid of them. He was afraid that he would not be recorded in Chrysler's history, so he still clung to the position of CEO even though he could no longer bring benefits to the company.

Iacocca had a golden opportunity to make a difference and make a name for himself. At that time, the U.S. auto industry was facing its biggest challenge ever, and Japanese imports of cars almost occupied the U.S. market. The reason is simple: Japanese cars look prettier and perform better. Iacocca's employees had studied and studied Honda cars carefully and made wonderful recommendations to Iacocca.

However, instead of rising to the challenge and introducing better models, Iacocca was trapped in his own fixed mindset and began to make accusations and excuses everywhere. He was furious, angrily cursed the Japanese, and demanded that the U.S. government limit the influx of Japanese cars through an import tariff and quota system.

In a New York Times article aimed at Iacocca, reporters denounced: "The solution should be to build better American cars, not to angrily use Japanese cars as an excuse."

Iacocca also did not become a leader in its employees. In fact, he gradually became the isolated, paranoid, harsh tyrant he had accused of Henry Ford. Not only did he fire subordinates who disagreed with him, but he also did not reward employees who had put in a lot of effort to save the company. Even when the company started to make a profit, he was reluctant to share the results with his employees. Employees' wages are low and the working environment has not improved. Yet, even in such difficult circumstances, Iacocca maintained his imperial lifestyle — spending two million dollars to renovate his corporate suite at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Eventually, while Chrysler still had a glimmer of life, the board fired Iacocca. They paid a sizable pension, gave him stock options for the company, and continued to pay him many additional allowances. But he was furious to the point of madness, especially when he saw his successors manage the company in good order.

In order to regain the management throne, he joined a plan to retake Chrysler, putting the company's future at risk. The plan ultimately failed. But for many, this ultimately confirms that Iacocca does place his ego more than the company's interests.

Iacocca has maintained a fixed mindset. Although he initially had a great passion for the automotive industry and made groundbreaking proposals, his mentality of wanting to prove his superiority overcame everything and ultimately stifled his enthusiasm and creativity.

Over time, he became increasingly indifferent to the challenges of his competitors, devoiding a fixed mindset of blaming others, making excuses, and suppressing critics and competitors.

As was the case with other fixed mindsets, these reasons caused Iacocca to lose the outside affirmation he craved.

When students fail exams or athletes lose a game, the result means they're not doing well. But CEOs are powerful enough to build a small kingdom and confirm their superiority day and night.

No matter what kind of danger warnings a company encounters, this kingdom allows CEOs to hear only praise for themselves and only see the success of the company. This phenomenon may remind you of CEO syndrome that we mentioned earlier, which is also the danger of fixed mindsets.

I've been wondering lately if Iacocca has gotten rid of CEO syndrome. He's raising money for a new diabetes research (he's investing a lot of money himself) and working on developing eco-friendly cars. Maybe he's less anxious to prove himself now and can pursue the things he really values.

(Carol Deway's Lifelong Growth Reading Notes)