Successful Executives: How Independent?

A folklore values the notion of independence. Our heroes—like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dwight David Eisenhower, and Lee lacocca—are individuals who appear larger than life. Yet while they appear individualistic and independent, such people actually depend on a host of others in their public and private lives. Consequently, they achieve success while not being torn apart by the accompanying demands and stresses. Their attachments to many people through their public and private support networks enable them to sustain success and manage heavy demands and stresses with a minimum of distress. They recognize their own limitations and form relationships that enable them to transcend those limits. Those who are not able to extend themselves in this way may suffer from problems rooted in separation anxiety that inhibit them from forming healthy attachments to other people. In light of these observations, executives pursuing success should ask themselves two questions: (1) Is forming healthy attachments with other people an integral part of my behavior? and (2) Is separation anxiety a personal problem that poses a health risk to me? Exhibit 1 contains a set of ten questions. Take a couple of minutes to answer each question. We will come back to your answers at the end of the article and see what they suggest about you.