I think this is false. I think a determined CEO [well, founding team, but the CEO usually gets the headlines] is the rock solid foundation of any company. The team and advisors build upon that foundation. The founding team is the key factor in terms of success.
Is there something about British culture that avoids hero figures and prefers to emphasize the team contribution? Read in a certain context, this article could be seen as an attempt to discourage differentiation between individuals based on their levels of ambition, or in other words, to keep the heroes at bay.
I'm almost certain there is. It's apparent in most of British culture. I even read an article recently about different approaches to sports throughout history that said basically the same thing. The greek/roman tradition was very hero focused, traditional british sports are very team focused, and american sports have merged the two, where we have team sports but also have standout hero's within those teams.
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[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 23.6 ms ] threadAn inspiring leader is an incredibly valuable asset. Just imagine what would have happened with Apple had Wozniak tried to to it without Jobs.
OTOH, I think a Microsoft with less Gates and more Paul Allen would be an interesting thing.
I will have some experiments to conduct as soon as time-travel becomes possible.