

Why Clever And Lazy People Make The Best Leaders - 0cool
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-clever-and-lazy-people-become-leaders-2014-3

======
ArkyBeagle
Erich von Manstein may or may not have been an actual Nazi. The German (
Prussian, really ) Junkers ( pr. Yoonkurss ) class - and I do mean class in a
hereditary sense - would have been more dependent on an honor code than on who
happened to be Chancellor at the time.

Manstein was dismissed by Hitler at one point. He helped with the plausible
deniability ... thing, the "myth of a clean Wermacht"[ Wikipedia ]. That was a
Useful idea in resolving the legalities of the War. Whether it was true or not
is almost moot.

No, there almost certainly can't be any stats to back this up. It's barely a
just-so story.

The money shot is: "Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the
highest leadership duties, because he possesses the intellectual clarity and
the composure necessary for difficult decisions." This statement is roughly
descriptive and barely that. But it doubtless contains some measure of wisdom.
Clarity is critical. Non delusional clarity is even better.

Another corollary aphorism is "a smart man wouldn't do that; a lazy man
wouldn't do that." That's a "koan" about allowing that still small voice that
nags you not to do something some credence. Especially in dynamic situations,
allowing a situation to run to a critical state may be better than trying to
anticipate something that's too complex to map in detail.

I suppose the deeper irony of the piece is assuming away ethics as a given
when the subject was imprisoned for "war crimes". This being said, that's one
whale of an ethical conundrum, to have been an ostensibly Prussian military
officer in those times.

------
m_c
The term 'lazy' here is a bit misleading. In my view it's not meant in the
sense of someone who slothful, but rather someone who aims to do things as
efficiently as possible.

Sticking with the military context, one of the British Army's principles of
war is 'economy of effort', which I think is a better description. Effective
leaders focus on the high value activities, use resources well and delegate.

------
dm2
Are there any stats to back this up?

A quote from a Nazi strategist does not answer the question of "why" or even
prove the statement is true.

Lazy people certainly do not make the best CEOs. I don't know a single person
that I look up to that I would consider lazy.

