Glenn Beck and Rachel Maddow make it work for them in media. But business is a completely different story. Does It Pay To Be An Extremist In Business?
Extremism is pervasive in today’s popular culture. We are almost at a point whereby having an extremist position is the only way to get attention. Cable news channels that take an extreme position (left or right) are doing far better in ratings than those considered to be middle of the road. The business success of “talking heads” such as Glenn Beck, Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann isn’t due to their temperate manner and balanced perspective. It seems that we are caught in a vicious circle where extremism is rewarded and is therefore matched or exceeded by competitors.
Thinking about this in a business context, does it pay to be an extremist? Or is it something that only works in media? In business I think extremism is generally bad.
Three types of bad extremism
Some types of extremism are poisonous to the culture of any business. If you are guilty of these types of extremism then you need to deal with it. Immediately.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is the most lethal form of extremism in business. In case life hasn’t taught you this lesson yet, nothing on earth is perfect; everything can always be improved. Assuming that building the perfect prototype, preparing the perfect pitch, making the perfect contract is attainable will drive you crazy. You will lose tremendous amounts of time trying to achieve something that cannot be achieved. You have to accept that many times “good enough” really is just that. This isn’t a justification for sloppiness or laziness. That’s how a perfectionist would interpret it. Perfectionists not only harm themselves, but they harm those around them. In the eyes of a perfectionist, no one is good enough, no one works hard enough and no one performs as expected. It’s demoralizing. After a while, no one will want to work with you (or frankly even be around you).
Stubborness
Some people are extreme in their stubbornness. Once they have an idea that they believe in, listening to others is no longer an option. They refuse to consider opinions contrary to their beliefs. If you are the owner of your company, you can get away with this indefinitely, but it may eventually lead to the failure of your business. No one is sufficiently brilliant to master all areas of business without input from others. The most successful businesspeople in the world have extraordinary teams of brilliant people surrounding them. If Bill Gates needs help, then yes, so do you.
Opinionated
You may enjoy watching Glenn Beck or Keith Olbermann on television, but imagine working with them on a day-to-day basis. When I say “them,” I’m not talking about them as individuals but instead I’m talking about their on-screen personas. I’m sure off camera they are different.
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