January 2017

People who are powerful but uncharismatic will tend to be disliked.

Their power makes them a target for criticism that they don't have the charisma to disarm.

That was Hillary Clinton's problem.

It also tends to be a problem for any CEO who is more of a builder than a schmoozer.

And yet the builder-type CEO is (like Hillary) probably the best person for the job.

Powerful but uncharismatic people get disliked: their power draws criticism they can't disarm — Hillary's problem, and any builder-CEO's. Yet that builder is probably best for the job.

Powerful but uncharismatic people get disliked, because their power draws criticism they can't charm away — Hillary's problem, and any builder-CEO's. Yet that builder is probably the best person for the job.

I don't think there is any solution to this problem.

It's human nature.

The best we can do is to recognize that it's happening, and to understand that being a magnet for criticism is sometimes a sign not that someone is the wrong person for a job, but that they're the right one.

There's no fix; it's human nature. The best we can do is recognize that a magnet for criticism is sometimes the right person for a job, not the wrong one.

There's no solution; it's human nature. The most we can do is recognize that being a magnet for criticism is sometimes a sign someone is the right person, not the wrong one.