The Cult Of Celebrity & The Super-Ego: Behavioral Leadership

The Cult Of Celebrity & The Super-Ego: Behavioral Leadership

Viewpoint by Andrew Thorn, PhD., WCW Columnist

Many of my childhood heroes were sports stars. Growing up in LA, I wore T-shirts with the faces of Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Roman Gabriel, Pat Hayden, Marcus Allen and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. These were the people who contributed so much to our local teams. I also remember hating Reggie Jackson, Lou Pinella, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and nearly every other member of the Yankees, Red Sox and the Notre Dame football team.

I admired these men for their ability to play the game. They were stars in our community, and they worked hard to be solid citizens and to protect their image. They were very careful with how they talked about their individual greatness. They were confident but humble about their super star status. We saw them make mistakes and they did their best to apologize for their human failures and move on. They did their best to obey the law and to stay out of trouble. They played for the team and always remembered that the name on the front of their jersey was much more important then the name on the back.

Super-Egos

Today, that way of thinking is long gone. Our sports heroes seem to be more interested in grabbing attention, on and off the field, then they are in winning championships. Tonight, Lebron James, will be the feature of a one hour special on ESPN. The purpose of the special is to announce which team will now be blessed with his ability. I admit that his announcement is news worthy, and I am actually excited about the prospect of James, Wade, Bosh trio in Miami, but I am confused about why this announcement will take an hour, and even more confused as to why many people will be watching.

I am stunned at King James' willingness to treat his search for a new team like a reality TV show. Can you imagine Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Michael Jordan doing that? What is even more surprising is the fact that he has yet to win anything, but he walks around like he is the greatest of all time.

Muhammed Ali was known to tout his greatness, but he backed it up. Lebron hasn't done that yet. He is a great player, but he have the resume of a champion, nor does he act like one. How long will our fascination last? What will his legacy be if he is unable to win with his new crew?

It is obvious that he needs to be noticed, and he is not alone. Even many of the lesser skilled players are demanding the media focus. Their desire to be noticed seems to be greater than their desire to win. The search for popularity is not confined to our sports figures. It spills over into every industry we know.

Our Search

It would be easy for me to end this post now. I could sit in my easy chair and think about the flaws of our public leaders without ever shining the light inward, but my musings mean very little to me, without a moment of reflection.

I too, would like to be more popular. I work hard every day to produce excellence, and in my opinion, not enough people in the world know who I am. The majority of my time is spent producing a valuable service, but some of it is spent figuring out how to get the message out. I want a bigger audience than I currently have, and I believe it is acceptable to search for that audience. I even use the media to help me build that audience.

The bother that I feel with this summer's free agency reality show is that the attention is being focused on the wrong thing. It seems our super stars want so desperately to be liked, that they have forgotten what it is that makes us like them. I loved my sports heroes as a youth, because they were champions. That didn't mean that they always won, but it meant that they always acted like it. I loved my political leaders because they did their best to do the right thing with the most minimal amount of impact on our daily lives. I was loyal to the brands I used because they produced good products and services.

They understood that their popularity depended on their ability to bring us value.

What happened?

We are experiencing a great famine in the land. It is a leadership famine and it is widespread. The answer is for each of us to remember that when we bring value, we will be popular. We won't have to blow our own horn, because others will be doing it for us.

What value are you contributing in your circle of influence?

Are your efforts producing positive results?

Our society needs you to be your best. We will push the "like button" more often, when you add value to our lives. We don't want gimmicks or drama, we want to be enriched by what you have to offer. Are you willing to deliver?

Live Today! Love Today!

For Further Information

Dr. Andrew Thorn provides behavioral based leadership strategies to individuals who are seeking to bring their personal and professional responsibilities into full harmony. His clients achieve more, become more and experience balanced growth for their own benefit, and for the benefit of the people they lead.

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