be stupid? Refer to Law 1. Based on these five laws, Cipolla then went ahead to construct a matrix.
He puts people into several categories.
Intelligent people are those who ensure that their thoughts and actions are the ones that benefit both themselves and others. These can be thought of as WIN-WIN outcomes. They have a concern for their own outcomes but not at the expense of the outcomes for others. These others can be thought of as colleagues, friends, the organizations they support and the society at large. Are all leaders in this category?
Helpless people are those who give so much of themselves, that they end up with a LOSE-WIN outcome. These individuals have very low concern for their outcomes but very high concern for others They may be altruistic in nature and genuinely believe that they want to help. Often times, they over-give and this can result in resentment and burn out. That person in the office who always takes on work? The one who helps everyone?
Bandits are those who are mainly interested in benefits to themselves and losses for others. This results in a WIN- LOSE scenario. This thuggish behavior, which sometimes can be classified as selfish is usually not sustainable. If everyone in the organization or society starts behaving like this, it can result in complete dysfunction. The me, me, me approach shows others you only care about yourself. Eventually the people around you will see through this.
Stupid people behave in ways that lead to LOSE-LOSE outcomes. They don’ t seem to realise that their actions damage themselves and those around them. This is why self-awareness is important to avoid sabotaging yourself. The journey of self-awareness can be helped by training programmes or completing personality assessments that highlight the areas of development. Other options include working with a personal development coach to uncover the potential that is within you to change your mindset and change your behaviour.
A different author came up with the Theory of Stupidity. Deitrich Bonhoeffer states that stupidity is worse than evil. Evil can be dealt with but stupidity is much more complex. He argues that stupid people are dangerous individuals with beliefs that are not anchored on anything logical. It is difficult for a reasonable person to comprehend how someone can be so irrational. He also highlights that many times the stupid person is stubborn and no amount of logic or rationalisation can get them to change their mind.
Perhaps as Bonhoeffer says, it is time we stop tolerating stupidity. The stupid will cause chaos and confusion. Stupid leadership will take us down the path of complete ruin.
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia is a marketing professional with over 25 years’ experience in corporate and academia. She is also a Certified Executive Coach specializing in career & leadership coaching. You can reach her via email at: Mycoach @ thrityengineer. org.