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Many of the highest-growth, most innovative firms built over the past few decades—such as Apple, Amazon, and Tesla—were founded by obsessive leaders who demanded much of themselves and their colleagues. Willing to take huge risks and to push ahead when the odds were against them, they created iconic products that changed the way we live and work. Obsession comes at a fee, though, and each made significant mistakes which hurt them and their companies. Obsessed leaders can act in surprising, contradictory, and inexplicable ways. In All In, acclaimed author Robert Bruce Shaw explores their obsessions and impact, allowing us to benefit from their ideas and experience.
Robert Bruce Shaw helps business leaders build organizations and teams capable of superior performance. His specialty is working closely with senior executives, so they can understand and address the challenges modern businesses face--especially the need to maximize organizational and leadership effectiveness, both crucial for any company to remain relevant and competitive. Shaw holds a PhD in organizational behavior from Yale University and has authored books on leadership and team building.
Organizations need obsessive leaders, at various levels, if they are to survive and grow in a highly competitive world. This is particularly true if they are striving to disrupt the status quo with a new product or service offering.
It may seem absurd to sympathize with those who achieve success at the level of Bezos and Musk. We must recognize, however, that being obsessed is not always a comfortable or happy existence.
Persistence, a key component of grit, becomes in the obsessed a relentless drive to achieve one’s goal. Focus without drive means that ideas, even the most promising, may never result in a product or service that consumers value.
All told, obsession is both necessary and potentially toxic. It needs to be embraced but handled with care by individuals and their organizations.
