There’s leadership. Then there’s the dark side of leadership. What does that mean exactly? It involves fear, anger, hatred, jealousy, anxiety, deceit – like the dark side of many things. The dark is usually what we run or hide from, but my interview with Dave Logan shed some new light onto the topic.
that's not Dave.
It’s interesting to note that Jimmy Carter himself said he wasn’t very effective as President because he didn’t embrace his dark side – said it made him a wimpy leader.
In my interview with Dave, NYT bestselling author of Tribal Leadership and expert in transformation in the workplace, we talk specifically about the dark side of leadership and what it means. We have an assumption about leaders that they’re superhuman – that somehow they don’t feel anger or sadness or depression. Dave talks about how coming to understand the “dark” sides of our personality is important, especially for leaders, and how it’s easy to fool ourselves into never letting this side come out and why it might be good to do so. This isn’t for everyone, however. Psychotics and psychopaths do well to keep their dark sides hidden as they may be darker than expected.
This is Dave.
Here’s my audio interview with Dave. It opens right away and you’ll learn a lot from his approach to what your dark side can mean for you, personal traits (or danger zones) it may be hiding, and you’ll also hear about Dave’s dark side.
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Here’s Dave’s bio: Dave Logan, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, is an expert in cultural transformation in the workplace, serving as senior partner at CultureSync and on the faculty of the Marshall School of Business. This is a resource site for people who want to build high performing teams, tribes, and organizations. Find him at Davelogan.com.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hey Ishita! This is a great interview. I feel like I’ve encountered a lot of people in both my work and social lives who are very adept at wielding their own dark sides for their own benefit.
My question is – for you and Dave, if he can answer – what do you do when you’re faced with someone – either in the work place or your social life – who has no qualms about wielding their own dark side for their own benefit. I feel like this is the type of situation that brings out my biggest fears and anxieties, because I’m someone who generally tries to be understanding and just with everyone I deal with. But not everyone behaves this way – many people will do whatever they want to (which I guess is their dark side), to satisfy their own motives, not matter how their actions affect others.
I feel like I encounter these type of people sometimes, and I have now idea how to deal with them – because very often they are the types who don’t acknowledge the “darkness” of their behaviors. So how do you deal with another person who uses their dark side unflinchingly – either knowingly, or unknowingly?
Thanks!
Liz