In this episode of On Leading with Greatness, Jim Salvucci of Guidance for Greatness delves into the counterintuitive reality of leadership where we often favor flashy, incompetent leaders over consistent, capable ones. By contrasting the styles of a crisis-loving manager named Carl and a reliable, drama-free manager named Pam, Jim highlights the societal bias influenced by the Dunning-Kruger effect and the action fallacy. Discover why marketing and sensationalism overshadow true merit and learn how to identify and nurture genuinely effective leaders.

So which is it? Are leaders born or bred? Are they delivered by the proverbial stork, or are they mainly a product of their story? As I cruise the podcast circuit as a guest, this question keeps popping up: Is leadership innate or something that must be cultivated over time?

How effectively do you market yourself? How actively do you ignore the hype and elevate merit?

Great leaders have a duty to discover merit amidst the noise of marketing, and I can help.

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I look forward to hearing from you.

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Dr. Jim Salvucci is an author, keynote speaker, coach, and consultant. He served higher education for 30 years as an English professor, dean, and vice president before founding Guidance for Greatness to guide young bosses to become the next generation of great leaders. He is a certified Tiny Habits coach as well as a certified Thrive Global coach and life coach and holds leadership certificates from Harvard University and the Council of Independent Colleges. Central to Jim’s leadership philosophy is that all great leaders are decent humans as well as great teachers, guiding their people and their organizations through values toward success.

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.“

Good ol’ Ben Franklin was onto something. Sacrificing our sacred freedoms for some fleeting security is foolish, but we see it all the time. The backstory of this quote is a bit tangled, but the core message remains as sound as a hundred dollar bill. Don’t undersell what’s most important.

What do people really mean when they say someone is good deep down?

Filbert was a bit of a nut. His wife would say that all the time with a chuckle. Usually she said this right after he pulled “one of his stunts.” It was not easy being married to Filbert, and her little pun was just one way she coped. When Filbert acted out, his friends would say, “that’s just Filbert being Filbert,” and offer a wry little laugh of their own.

The people who worked for Filbert generally feared him. For decades he had held his entire building floor in a simmering state of anxious misery that occasionally boiled over into roiling terror.

Here’s the scene: A street partially excavated, construction equipment scattered about, jackhammers and backup beepers striking a symphony of cacophony. But, lo, what do I behold rounding the corner? Could it be? Yes, a lone driver has decided, despite all the barricades and “Do Not Enter” signs, that this street is still an active thoroughfare. Even the seasoned construction workers shake their heads and tsk-tsk at such foolishness. This episode repeats all day and all night as drivers test the reality of a dead-end street. This bizarre ritual is a perfect analogy for how managers and leaders navigate decisions.

Here’s a story about leveraging visibility to maximize transparency by utilizing the transparency paradox. Some years ago, I was elected the chair of the Faculty Council at my university—a representative group of professors who help steer the policies and curriculum of the school. Such bodies are rarely a hotbed of controversy although they can wield considerable influence.

Think of a clenched fist. What comes to mind? For most people a fist evokes strength, aggression, and even a touch of violence. A raised fist screams defiance and declares revolutionary solidarity. A fist shaken in the face? It’s a prelude to a fight. In our culture, fists are undeniably masculine. Men punch, and women slap. Or so we imagine.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that bosses—as we conceive them—are more comparable to fists than open hands. Bosses want to exude an aura of toughness, an uncompromising stance. The stereotypical hardboiled, cigar-chomping autocrat. The iron man: red hot on the outside but cool within. Like a boss, right?

People often think that leadership ability is something that you must be born with, like green eyes or curly hair, as if leadership skills spontaneously generate or derive from an inherited “leadership gene.” Leaders, though, are developed more than born.

Have you ever watched the 1992 cinematic classic Glengarry Glen Ross? If not, you’re missing out on one of the most intense and brutal takedowns of the modern workplace. While the homogenous casting dates it a bit, the film—based on David Mamet’s play—offers a high-octane drama populated by Hollywood heavyweights who greedily chew up the scenery.

I encourage you to watch the film less as a commentary on masculine corruption and more as a workplace drama—a critique of modern office culture. Great leadership committed to treating people as human beings, not just "resources" or “marks,” would transform this sales office and likely boost sales in the long run. It might not make the best cinema, but such a norm surely would be a welcome change in the real world.