The Hippo is a deadly animal, it kills about 500 people a year. For reference, Lions kill about 22 people. They can be very dangerous and you have to watch out for them.
Self Awareness
The great scene at the end of The Usual Suspects is when Dave Kujan finally has all the pieces tumble into place and figures out who Keyser Söze is.
It is too little, too late as Söze disappears in the car in the background.
The voice-over dances over the revelation – The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.
To get the best out of your team, you might not be a criminal mastermind, but you might be a HiPPO. Self-awareness is key.
What is a HiPPO
A HiPPO is the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion. It is probably the boss, or the most senior, or maybe the superstar. Whoever it is, if it is you, you better not be like Kujan and figure it out too late.
The HiPPO has all the power. People will defer to them. If everyone is getting paid by them, or only staying employed by their good graces then there will be few that will challenge a decision.
You must figure out if you are the HiPPO as soon as possible.
So you are a HiPPO
Amazing, congratulations. Now what?
You set the tone. Know that how you lead, people will follow. If you make it OK to be rude, short with people, bullying others, then the team will follow.
If you create an environment where ideas are aggressive but people aren’t then that is how your team will be.
If you admit to mistakes then people won’t hide theirs.
If you never admit you make mistakes then no one else will.
You lead, and they follow. (It also might not be because you are a good leader, it’s just that they don’t want to lose their job.)
So you are not a HiPPO
Welcome to the team, most people will be in this situation.
It is not all doom and gloom. Now you have to figure out what makes the HiPPO happy. Your job isn’t to be good at your job, it is to make your boss happy. Sometimes they are the same thing, and sometimes they are vastly different.
If your boss/manager/leader isn’t great then you will need to make them feel important. This means you might have to swallow your pride a little bit (i know it is ridiculous that you have to make the highest-paid person feel more special, I get it) and make it feel like it is their idea.
Remember how this feels and when the tables are different, don’t be like them.
If you have a good boss/manager/leader then you are living the dream, keep being awesome.
Here is the scene from The Usual Suspects, enjoy.
Luke McMeeken-Ruscoe 