My friend Andrew recommended I read The Hypomanic Edge by John D. Gartner. It’s basically a retroactive analysis of a bunch of American entrepreneurs and leaders that argues the key to their success was a minor form of manic depression called hypomania.
One of the main distinctions the author makes is that we often correlate great leadership with narcissism, but a more complete / accurate correlate is actually hypomania.
It feels to me like the main gist of this book is that the hypomanic often fails (even dies) but it’s a useful “glitch” to have in the system, because when it works, you might get an wildly successful outcome.
Overall, it felt a bit too much like an apology for bad behavior to me.
Notes and quotes…
One of the “identifiers” of a hypomanic is a mild obsession with appearance, clothing, and uniform that gets “noticed” – because you have to get noticed to get promoted.
- Read The Hypomanic Edge by John D. Gartner