I've been catching up on my New Yorker reading, and I came upon this article by James Surowiecki, their economics correspondent, on failed CEOs like Bernie Ebbers and Richard Scrushy who turned from "local heroes" to "local zeroes."

This quote is most relevant for USM and our leadership:

"In the book 'Why Smart Executives Fail' Sydney Finkelstein, of Dartmouth, observes that 'spectacularly unsuccessful' people (mere failure doesn't qualify; you have to wreak havoc and ruin lives) have certain traits in common. These people see themselves and their companies as 'dominating their environments'. They demand total allegience and have the answer to every problem. And they indentify themselves almost completely with their companies. Local heroes are especially vulnerable to these vices, since everyone in town is always sucking up to them." [New Yorker March 28, 2005, p. 25]

SFT "bleeds black and gold", is thick like thieves with the local, rent-seeking business community, knows all the answers, cannot brook criticism: If there is a better description of SFT as a dysfunctional and failed leader, I haven't seen it.