LEADERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE 225who pushes power down the line who benefi ts in the long r un. A lthough
letting go of power can be diffi cult in the short run (after all, power
has an addictive quality), eventually the whole organization benefi ts.
Employees become more productive, and as a result of the organization ’ s
productivity the CEO becomes more powerful. These three CEOs
avoided the trap that many other executives would step into, whereby
short - term psychological benefi ts would overrule the longer - term tan-
gible ones. These CEOs knew how to postpone the gratifi cation of
their more immediate power needs.
In this empowerment process, they would set high - performance
expectations. They would strongly express their confi dence in their
executives. They knew that high expectations are likely to motivate
capable people.
Harnessing the Energy Within
In all too many organizations the general rule is that garbage goes
down and credit goes up. All too many senior executives engage in
confl ict avoidance, micro - management, or abrasive behavior. Such prac-
tices lead to the arousal of strong negative emotions. Welch, Barnevik,
and Branson knew how to harness the affectionate and aggressive
energy of their people, another critical component of the leadership
tool kit. They also knew how to create an emotional holding environ-
ment. One often neglected part of leadership is the role of ‘ psychiatric
social worker. ’ These visionary leaders were very good in expressing
affection when needed. They would be active listeners; they had excel-
lent interpersonal skills, and as a result (as this particular way of behav-
ing cascaded down in their organizations), they would get the best out
of their people.
These three CEOs encouraged their people to direct aggressive
energy outwards. They knew that inner - directed organizational aggres-
sion leads to excessive politicking, turf fi ghts, lack of team work,
and morale problems. To avoid this, they would set clear boundaries
to prevent such behavior, and at the same time, direct this energy
toward the competition. Having a strong, common ‘ enemy ’ gets the
adrenaline fl owing in an organization, and is an ideal way to give
it a sense of focus. Jack Welch would say that he doesn ’ t want his
people to fi ght with the person at the next desk. He wants them to
fi ght competitors such as Westinghouse or Dupont. Percy Barnevik
constantly reminded his people of enemies such as Siemens and General
Electric. And the nemesis of Virgin Atlantic has been, of course,
British Airways.