The Leadership Bubble
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been paying close attention to the conversation about whether President Biden should stand for re-election. I was interested not only as a citizen but as someone who lives on Constitution Avenue and is worried about the possibility of needing to use air quotes every time I give my mailing address.
It was also a fascinating conversation through the lens of leadership.
First, it highlights just how important public performance is to leadership. The day after the first presidential debate, Ezra Klein articulated why performance is so important when he said the following:
“[C]ommunicating is part of the job of the president. Instilling confidence in people that you can do the job of the president is part of the job of the president. Being able to tell the story of your administration in a compelling way that pulls people to your side, that makes them understand what you were doing and why it is good for them — that is part of the job of the president.”
On that point about political leadership, most people would agree. However, it applies just as much to any leadership role. The public performance of the role is what helps attract people to your team, secure resources for your initiatives, and drive the sense that you are on top of your responsibilities.
Second, the Biden dilemma underscores how easy it is for leaders to develop a view of the world that is different from others’ perspectives.
One reason is that people treat you differently as a leader. On Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld interviewed President Obama and asked, “Do you ever think about [the fact that] every person you talk to is putting on an act—a total show?” Obama replied, “It’s a problem.”
Mitt Romney had his decision-making distorted by receiving adoration from fans. He described his reaction to cheering crowds at an airport stop right before the 2012 election to the Washington Post: “‘Intellectually I’ve felt that we’re going to win this, and I’ve felt that for some time,’ Romney told reporters. ‘But emotionally, just getting off the plane and seeing those people standing there — we didn’t tell them we were coming. We didn’t notify them when we’d arrive. Just seeing people there, cheering as they were, connected emotionally with me.’”
Of course, Romney’s crowd-based assessment did not match reality.
Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer had this illuminating take on Biden in a LinkedIn post a few weeks ago: “[I]f I were asked what psychological bias may also be associated with Biden’s persistence, it would be the self-enhancement & self-protection motive. People are motivated to see themselves more positively and to see the traits that they possess as being more important. [...] As we overestimate our performance and our strengths, it becomes more difficult to make realistic assessments about our prospects and to make sensible decisions of what we should, or should not, try to do.”
From the sidelines, we might look at others’ decision-making and think, “How could he possibly be thinking that?” But the Biden dilemma reminds us that all leaders are subject to these kinds of reality distortions because, well, we’re all human.