Kanye and the Art (?) of Over-Reaching

Kanye. . .Kimye. . .Clownye

It just doesn't stop. . .a constant parade of Kanye West's comparisons of himself to the famous. .  .or the righteous. . .or the heroic.    The latest this week:  "I'm giving my body on the stage, I'm putting my life at risk.   This is like being a police officer, or like war."

He does go on (of course) in an attempt to garner sympathy.  "I'll explain it to my daughter one day - me and her mother, we had to fight for this position."

Seriously.

I have worked with people like this. . .those who can't trust the realities of life and need to constantly try to self-elevate themselves in public opinion.  This "build it and they will come" attempt to garner a higher position usually does not come to fruition;  instead, it merely results in a lot of eye-rolling.

Here's the problem for leaders who do this:     they believe the world should revolve around them versus their team (or fans or constituencies).     100 to 1, leaders who are more concerned about the people around them will succeed;    leaders who are more concerned about their own success ultimately fail.   It's a simple matter of where the focus is placed.    Self-aggrandizing leaders focus on one person - and a one person strategy is not sustainable.      Leaders who focus, and place praise, on the people who are their partners have a very sustainable strategy.

Moreover, (and this is what a lot of people miss) is the impact of the perception of the leader by the team.      Most people surrounding a leader have already placed that individual on a pedestal (this person has more power than I, this person makes more money than I, this person is more accomplished than I).      This is problematic from the viewpoint that it can create gaps in understanding and communication between the leader and the team.    If the leader further aggrandizes himself or herself, the gap widens and there is less of a common mission that the team and the leader share.

Here's what I believe is true.   Real, strong leaders allow their personalities and actions to speak for themselves and do not need to stroke their egos by over-reaching.   The leaders who are comfortable, and quiet about their accomplishments are the ones that teams trust.

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders," available for e-readers on Amazon Kindle.  If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free.