Being Ruthless about Ruthlessness

Vikas Shah - January 18th 2010

Manchester Business School – Transforming Management - http://shah.tm.mbs.ac.uk

The industrial revolution created the archetypal businessman, characterised by their

ruthless attitude towards commerce.

In a controversial paper, Jerry Bergman discusses the Robber Barons' (a pejorative

term used to describe businessmen in America) attitude to workers in the late 1800's
and early 1900's. He describes how, "The robber barons’ lack of concern for the
social welfare of the community, and even their companies’ own workers, ruined
millions of lives. Injuries on the job due to unsafe working conditions were a major
cause of death and permanent injury for decades during this period. The yearly total
of such deaths, injury and illness in the USA around 1900 has been estimated at
around a million workers. Many steel mill foundry workers worked 12 hour shifts in
47°C heat for $1.25 a day. President Harrison said in 1892 that the average
American worker was subject to danger every bit as great as soldiers in war." He
continues to state that, "...Human lives were considered so expendable by many
capitalists that hundreds needlessly died laying railroad track alone. As one
employer noted when asked to build roof protection for his workers, ‘Men are
cheaper than shingles’." In many parts of the [modern] world the behaviours of the
US 'Robber Barons' is still apparent, seen even recently where, as Change.org
reported "... After 28 workers were burned to death at an unsafe clothing factory in
Bangladesh, tens of thousands of us from more than 70 countries called on companies
buying from the factory to take responsibility."

This alarming attitude of "command and control" sets the precedents which form what
commentary describes as "Ruthless" behaviour (defined by the Oxford English
dictionary as, 'having or showing no pity or compassion for others'). These attitudes
(caricatured in popular culture by the likes of Alan Sugar and Donald Trump) are
potentially the final throw-backs which connect the 'information economy' with the
'industrial'. In this sense, a mill-owner (for example) commonly held a psychological
axe over the heads of his workers (at all levels) which ingrained a fear for their jobs
should they not work as hard as the mill-owner required. Outside the mill, the attitude
of ruthlessness would typically have caused defensive behavioural patterns in the
partners and suppliers of the mill, fearing (often punitive) reprisals should they not
bow to the whim of their customer (this is seen, even today, as international
manufacturers are forced to take huge business risks fearing punitive actions from
large supermarket buyers).

The Human Economy

The growth of telecommunications including the internet, mobilisation and allied

technologies has changed our economy forever. We are now in a 'human economy'
which is built on different principles. No longer are command and control the
drivers- but instead, concepts such as connectedness, empowerment and collaboration.
It is, if you like, a more thoughtful economy.

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Prominent psychologist Brene Brown described, in her astonishing TED talk, how
"...connection is why we're here. It gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The
ability to feel connected is neurobiologically wired into us." In her research, she
explores some of the most fundamental facets of human emotion and found that
'Shame' (a fear of disconnection) was one of the most powerful drivers of human
behaviour; a driver linked closely to a sense of 'vulnerability'. Brene found that
emotionally 'successful' individuals, who had a deep sense of worthiness, also were
the ones with the courage to be authentic, the compassion to be kind (including to
themselves) and therefore were the ones who managed to successfully maintain more
emotional connections- they were authentic enough to let go of who they felt they
should be, and embraced who they are. She also observed that in modern life, one
tries to numb these vulnerabilities through a variety of means (meaning we are now
the most medicated, obese, and addicted population group in history). In a
commercial environment, the 'medication' can be delivered in the form of behaviour,
via aggression - giving the aggressor (the company boss, for example) a sense of
certainty in their environment, adopting the "I'm right, your wrong, shut up" stance,
and ignoring their effect on people, rather than embracing uncertainty and
vulnerability- which could, ironically, create much greater success for their
businesses.

If you look at the real superstar companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft (to
name just three) you will see that management styles are more authentic. Rather than
assuming they know everything, they are honest about the skills gaps, filling them
with people who do know the answers. Rather than assuming that management are
the only people with ideas, they empower and engage their entire workforce, in a
collaborative manner- all the while providing a compassionate and kind working
environment. These ideas are almost the exact opposite of those which built
companies like General Motors and GE, but have, in a tenth of the time, delivered
companies which (in their relative infancy) have market capitalisations in excess of
USD 100bn.

To take paradigm from the social and political environment, you will see the same
factors are true. The artists, philosophers, influencers and politicians who have had
the greatest success and impact on society (albeit with a few exceptions due to
predominantly economic circumstances ) have always been authentic in their
emotional style, embracing their own imperfections and vulnerabilities, surrounding
themselves with people who can help them, and maintaining powerful emotional
connections with their audience, partners, and contemporaries.

Be Ruthless...

Ironically, it is now time to be ruthless- albeit in a different way. We have to now be

ruthless with ourselves, and break the cycle of creating emotional barriers (commonly
known as 'bravado') and, instead, embrace authenticity and, hence, our own humanity.

As Dale Carengie once said, "When dealing with people, remember you are not
dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”