No Soup for You! & Rigid Leadership

One of the more popular episodes of the Seinfeld television series was the Soup Nazi. The story line centered on an aggressive man who owned a small restaurant where the locals stood outside in long lines to enjoy takeout orders of his delicious soup concoctions. However, these same customers were forced to tolerate this man’s rigid rules:
“Only one customer in the restaurant at a time.”
“Place your order immediately.”
“Do not point.”
“Do not ask questions.”
“Pay and leave immediately.”

Customers were forced to do what this man said, or they were told, “No soup for you! Come back in three months!”

Image Credit: Seinfeld, Season 7, Episode 6, Shapiro/West Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment

Leaders with a Soup-Nazi style have one way of doing things—their way. Their focus is totally on themselves. They do not want (nor do they take) any suggestions. They “know” what is best for the organization and everyone in it. They “allow” people to “help,” but only under their carefully prepared set of rigid rules. They are a proud leader.

An “unhumble” leader is notoriously self-focused. Writer and scholar Henri Nouwen once said,

“It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people.”

Isn’t that the perception most people have? It is far easier (and seemingly satisfying) to be focused entirely on ourselves and not on the needs of others or the opportunities presented by others.

A proud leader seems to “know” the truth and are usually its source. They take every measure to protect their point of view; they deny any effort to clarify the thought process; they do not encourage debate; they resist building a community of advisers.

A proud leader is critical. Such leaders develop self-centered standards and then tend to criticize anyone who does not follow their rules or who shows creativity and independence.

Yet, in today’s fast changing environment we need creativity and independent thinking and ideas more than ever.

Why are so many leaders resistant to change and innovation?

1. They only want self-initiated change. Leaders who lack humility seek to develop only their own ideas. They have no interest in others’ opinions.
2. They fear failure. We have seen so many potential leaders paralyzed by fear of failure. They fail to reach out for new territory because they are so afraid of losing. They do not understand the positive or learning side of failure.
   Baseball stars strike out more often than they hit home runs. However, they keep swinging for the fences. The best golfers in the world hit the green in regulation (two strokes under par) only about 75 percent of the time. One-fourth of the time they miss the mark. These golfers accept their failures, however, and give it their best to get back on track.
3. They are too comfortable. Many times present realities give us hope that we do not need to change. We sit in our current situations, do the same thing every day, and hold on for dear life to past achievements.

A leader willing to change brings about change in the organization. Embracing change fosters an attitude of success and can deliver us from the quagmire of sameness.

Have you demonstrated willingness to:
Change?
Be open and seek new, maybe novel ideas?
Help your teams understand and experience experimentation?

Check your need for control or your fear of failure. It’s a great barometer of future success.