Politicians may have personalities predisposed to risk-taking behaviors. The same is often true with CEOs and Rock Stars. These kinds of occupations attract competitiveness, narcissism, and the need for power along with talent, tenacity, resilience, and the willingness to take risks. A bigger problem however is when success turns into Celebrity Syndrome, especially in the age of social media. The only cure is a serious reality check. In Celebrity Syndrome, the people who achieve success or notoriety lose the ability to see themselves as 'regular' folks, subject to the same social norms and laws of gravity as the rest of us. The problem with getting cured is that reality checks at the top are hard to come by. When you have status and power, your world is full of fans, sycophants, power-seekers, and people on your payroll who reflect back the image that you want to see. It's pretty hard to get real information--even if you actually wanted it-which most … [Read more...]
