The "A Team"

by Susan Estrich

You can tell a lot about a person by the people who surround them. In theory, the "bigger" you are, the bigger and better the people around you should be. What makes a great leader is a great team. All that.

Except that very often, it just ain't so. I can't begin to count the number of times I have met people who are, in theory, at the top of whatever their game is, and the people around them are, for want of a better term, in a completely different league, with little of the experience, expertise or charisma of the boss; people who owe everything to the person on top, who could never hope to get another job anywhere near as big as the one they have; yes men and women holding on for dear life, whose loyalty may be their strongest suit and their greatest vulnerability.

Those who can't afford to leave will do almost anything to avoid it. That's their problem.

It tells you something about the person on top. It tells you that they don't like to be challenged, that they need to be the smartest person in the room, that they don't trust themselves enough to surround themselves with people every bit as big, if not bigger, than themselves. It tells you that however large they may look, however exalted their title and substantial their successes, an insecure kid is hiding somewhere inside. It tells you to watch out.

Barack Obama's appointments tell you that he is one very big guy.

http://www.creators.com/opinion/susan-estrich/the-a-team.html

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