Chapter 4. Reptilian Excellence

Leaders need to be tough and tough-minded, at times thick-skinned and even cold-blooded. If I had to choose between working in an organization headed by a wimp or an S.O.B., I’d choose the latter every time. In a competitive and unforgiving world, a tough leader would give us a chance to survive. An organization with a weak leader is doomed to failure.

In my experience, few things frustrate people more than to be put in the charge of a person who is weak and indecisive. It frightens them. We human beings may not be as blatant about our expectations of hierarchical order as wolves (who is the leader of the pack?) or birds (what is the pecking order?), but we want to know who is in charge and have confidence in that ...

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