[June 23, 2015] On this date in 1992, Mafia boss John Gotti, nicknamed the “Teflon Don,” is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty to commit murder and racketeering. Earlier, he got the nickname after escaping unscathed; he was found not-guilty from several trails during the 1980s.1 That is not exactly what I mean when leaders should be like Teflon. However, it is usually the best advice for senior leaders under attack, criticism, or gossip to let those things slide off like an egg on a Teflon frying pan.
For a senior leader doing the right thing, to respond to every insult or slander would only distract from the time required to achieve the mission. Typically most attacks come from those who are nowhere near the stature of the senior leader; responding to everything will make them appear to be the victim and thus gain moral standing. Normally the best thing to do is to simply do nothing and not dignify attacks with a response. The problem will usually go away on its own.
“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” – George Bernard Shaw
This advice to be like Teflon is not easy. For most of us, especially when we are caught up in our emotions, the first thing that comes to mind is to respond in-kind and to defend ourselves. Rarely does this work to our advantage. For a good example is how U.S. President Bill Clinton ignored his political enemies and thus frustrated them even more so by not reducing himself to their level of playing in the gutter.
As senior leaders we learn quickly that our first instinct is not always the best. Whenever we are like Teflon, our jobs are easier and we will maintain the moral high ground against those that sling darts our way. Leaders who who’ve experienced the disadvantages of responding in-kind, usually as more junior leaders, have found that the end result is not satisfactory.
Only the best leaders take the high road. U.S. President Harry Truman did this during his tenure during the Korean War. He was personally attacked repeatedly by General Douglas MacArthur. History has been more kind to Truman and his decisions in the war than to MacArthur who is seen as a person of highly flawed character.
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[1] http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/teflon-don-sentenced-to-life