Human First, Leader Second

INTRODUCTION Befriending Your Inner Asshole

In 2004 Dan Harris, a well-known ABC news anchorman for two decades, had a panic attack on live TV. Up until then, he’d been described as a gifted, intelligent, driven professional, but also as an authoritarian diva, cold and guarded.1

In the wake of his inferno of unease, Harris submitted to a comprehensive performance evaluation, called a 360 assessment, that included in-depth feedback from supervisors, direct reports, colleagues, and even friends and family members. The responses were so harsh that while he and his wife were reviewing the report, she had to take a break to go cry in the bathroom. Harris explained in a TED Talk that the most painful part was realizing that the aspects of his personality ...