Monsters

I've been watching the classic monster movies lately – Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong, The Wolfman, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, etc.   Not the remakes, but the originals from the 1930’s and 1940’s.  They are great stories that didn’t need blood and gore and swearing to keep your attention.  There was generally a moral beyond “Don’t go in the basement when the power has been cut”.

What created the monsters or ensuing terror was a dark drive to rule the world, to do what no one had done before, or to play “god”.  Their creators or manipulators put all other aspects of life aside in favor of their unhealthy fixation to dominate.  They separated themselves from friends and went into isolation away from accountability or surrounded themselves with those they could coerce into their twisted vision.  The monsters were created out of a teleopathic need for dominance. 

Kenneth Goodpaster, faculty at St. Thomas University, coined the term “Teleopathy” in his book Conscience and Corporate Culture as a mindset that reflects imbalance; specifically tied to imbalance in the pursuit of goals to the detriment of other ends that may have instrumental or moral significance.  Goodpaster shares that individuals with teleopathy fixate on certain goals, they rationalize their actions or focus, and detach from the social environment around them.

People with the mindset of teleopathy can be frightening.  The emotional and mental damage that can follow has long lasting consequences – we have seen it in multiple scenarios played out in the news.  The trust that is eradicated in an individual or business may never return.

Hollywood brought teleopathy to life with the monsters as entertainment.  But leaders can become the monsters of today when teleopathy sets in.  They allow their goals to overwhelm all other aspects of their life.  They believe that they are above consequences.  They feel entitled to expected outcomes and act on this sense of entitlement bowling over anyone or anything that stands in their way. They change rules.  It’s all about them.

Fear and disappointment sets in among the teams they lead – personally and professionally.

Watch your goals.  Stay connected and accountable.  Seek to make your team successful by serving.  Watch an old monster movie with a new perspective.  Keep monsters for entertainment, not reality.