The Loyalty-First Leadership Trap

Leadership Lessons from Trump

While the controversies surrounding Trump’s cabinet picks made for sensational political theater, there are important management lessons to be learned. The principle of “loyalty trumping expertise” that appeared to guide Trump’s selection process is all too common in corporate hierarchies as well. So if you are a “career manager,” Trump’s cabinet appointments may indicate that you are on the right thread.

However, if you are on the other side of the moral divide, i.e. if you prioritize integrity over blind obedience, you may learn a totally different lesson. Loyalty trumping expertise may bring limited success in career advancement but will inevitably lead to a decline if not a total disaster on the system level.

By all means, the choice is yours.

Recent cabinet appointments announced by president-elect Donald Trump are making the top news stories for days now. Depending on the source’s location on the political spectrum, they are assessed as “shock-inducing” or “controversial” but mostly fall into the wide range from “shock and disbelief” to “f*** disaster.” I sincerely agree with the latter label as a succinct and reliable prognosis, but I disagree with the former.

What’s “shock-inducing” or “controversial” about Trump’s cabinet picks?

Nothing. Trump is following the well-worn KGB playbook thoughtfully lent by “good friend” Vladimir Putin. This manual, meticulously refined through decades of organized crime Best Practices, is the go-to resource for modern autocrats. Think of it as “Dictatorship for Dummies,” but written in blood.

Its core principle is breathtakingly simple: hire individuals with heavy skeletons in their own closets. These types can be fired – or better yet, imprisoned – whenever convenient. Historically, organized crime groups required recruits to “make their bones” by committing crimes right in the beginning of their mob career. At a minimum, an audience with the Don required proving your criminal bona fides – for example, by publicly flashing your Arnold Palmer wrapped in a hundred-dollar bill.

But credit where due: Trump has a vast pool of questionable characters to choose from, streamlining recruitment.

So it is only natural to pick Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. This distinguished public servant arrives pre-packaged with an investigation into possible sex trafficking, having sex with a minor, and much more. Rest assured, his devotion will be absolute – nothing quite ensures compliance like a prosecutor who needs prosecuting.

The KGB has deployed this strategy with surgical precision, appointing compromised officials and recruiting assets worldwide. Which brings us to Helsinki, 2018: that fascinating two-hour tête-à-tête where Trump emerged with the haunted look of someone who’d just learned exactly what was in his Moscow file (arguably opened in 1987). Meanwhile, Putin radiated the quiet triumph of a handler whose asset had finally grasped his true position.

Fast forward to the present

Right after the election results had become known, Trump announced that he already called Putin and “warned” him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. However, Kremlin denies that the call took place at all. To make the Russia-USA relations clear to the rest of the world, Russian State TV aired a prime-time show featuring the returning First Lady’s glorious past, including nude photos and some details from her CV.

Do you feel the drift now? No?! OK, here’s for the less sensitive leaders and managers who read this blog and honestly want to learn this lesson from Trump.

A couple of days ago, the former KGB chief said literally the following in an interview to a popular Russian business newspaper: “The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”

“The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”

– Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev, Aide to the President of Russia, former Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, former Director of the Federal Security Service

Draw your own conclusions. But prepare for more “shocking” revelations that will surprise exactly no one with basic pattern recognition skills. And come back for more Leadership Lessons from Trump (and not only).