When leaders talk about the goals they want to achieve for themselves, their organizations and their people, their dreams sound an awful lot like Mark Zuckerberg’s reality. He turns 34 years old this month, but he has already established himself as a supremely successful CEO. With a net worth that exceeds $60 billion and placement on lists of the most wealthy and influential people in the world, there’s no question that Zuckerberg is flourishing. His company, Facebook, is also one of the most important and well-known organizations in the digital era. Additionally, Zuckerberg has received a glowing 98% approval rating from his employees on glassdoor.com.

Any CEO or leader would love to experience just a fraction of Zuckerberg’s success. He earns tons of money, his business dominates its sector (and, some would say, modern life in general) and his employees love him. He is without question one of the most successful leaders of all time. But is he a good leader?

2018: A Year of Scandal and Controversy for Facebook

As everyone has heard, Zuckerberg and Facebook have come under fire for allowing private user data to be exploited by the data firm Cambridge Analytica. The controversy has led many people to quit using the social media platform and may have tarnished the public’s perception of Zuckerberg. When news of the scandal broke, Zuckerberg was silent for five days, leading many to wonder about the role the CEO played and whether they could trust their data to be handled securely on Facebook.

When Zuckerberg finally responded, he was apologetic, but also strangely aloof regarding the real pain and concern the scandal has caused. He addressed the fact that Facebook has, “...a responsibility to protect your data,” and explained how his company has taken steps to limit potential abuse by organizations like Cambridge Analytica. But he failed to empathize with users in a human way.

Zuckerberg appeared before U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C. recently to address the scandal, and he performed admirably, apologizing and taking responsibility for the data breach. But many members of Congress have begun to see a pattern—Facebook seemingly oversteps the bounds of privacy and responsibility, and then Zuckerberg issues what seems like a genuine apology.

Lawmakers pointed to previous apologies and promises, wondering how the most recent round of mea culpas would solve any of the issues at hand. There is a growing sense that Zuckerberg is not actually in control of his company and its ability to attain, control and exert power over personal data. And even more troubling for Zuckerberg and Facebook is the fact that the public seems more willing than ever to disengage from the platform.

Can Mark Zuckerberg Handle His Creation?

Facebook is a business, but it’s also much more than that; it is an entire landscape and digital ecosystem that connects people and provides space for human interaction, marketing, entertainment and more. It’s become so large and powerful that it may be time to start asking whether Mark Zuckerberg can handle leading his creation?

By all accounts, Mark Zuckerberg is an idealistic person with a genuine vision of bringing people together in positive ways. But he is also young, a bit naive and possibly not capable of handling an organization that’s grown impossibly fast since its inception in 2004.

Mark Zuckerberg is successful on many fronts, making him the envy of CEOs and other leaders around the globe. But his inability maintain control over his organization — in addition to congressional scrutiny and public distrust — gives me pause. Can we look at Mark Zuckerberg as a leadership role model? Should CEOs pattern their behaviors and practices after Zuckerberg's? Has Facebook's tremendous and historical success blinded people to some significant faults in leadership?

I believe that the answers to these questions are subtle, nuanced and complicated. Zuckerberg has unquestionably built an impressive organization, and there is a lot that leaders can learn from him. But he's also made some critical mistakes that would certainly cripple smaller and less profitable organizations.

I think it’s time we take a closer look at the good and bad of Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership.

The Good

#1 — He Embraces New Ideas and Questions the Status Quo
Many traditional ways of doing business are becoming obsolete in our hyper-connected, tech-based world. Zuckerberg realizes this fact, which is why he eschews typical organizational hierarchies, empowers employees, makes himself available for communication (and feedback) and values good ideas regardless of who generates them. Facebook would not be as successful as it is today without such a forward-leaning approach to leadership.

#2 — He Has a Real Vision for His Organization
People who work for Mark Zuckerberg (and to a lesser extent, those who interact with Facebook) always know what drives him. He has stated time and time again that his ambition is to build a more connected and open world. He asserts this vision clearly and unambiguously. Furthermore, he is undoubtedly committed to this goal—it's not just talk! Employees know that what they're doing is related to a vision that's bigger than any one individual. And that's incredibly inspiring.

#3 — He Surrounds Himself with Good People
Zuckerberg is the founder and the person with the grand vision within Facebook, but thankfully he also seems to understand that he can’t do it all by himself. That’s why he’s surrounded himself with smart, high-performing people like COO Sheryl Sandberg. Great businesses are often built around great partnerships, and Zuckerberg has consistently demonstrated an awareness of his strengths, weaknesses, and values by putting people with complementary talents and abilities into crucial roles.

The Bad

#1 — He Seems to Have an Unethical Streak
As mentioned above, Zuckerberg has had to do quite a bit of apologizing over the years for the questionable and downright unethical handling of data. There is also compelling evidence suggesting that he stole the original idea for Facebook from friends back in his college days. A movie was even made about it.  And he has also acknowledged his shaky ethics personally in this alleged quote: “You can be unethical and still be legal; that’s the way I live my life.” To me, being a good leader means operating ethically. Does Zuckerberg measure up in this regard?

#2 — He Is Naive About His Organization’s Power and Role
When asked by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham if Facebook constitutes a monopoly, Zuckerberg replied, “It certainly doesn’t feel like that to me.” Millions of people around the world would probably disagree. For many people, Facebook is the only portal through which contact with the outside world is possible. Yes, there are other social networks that people can use, but none is as powerful, successful or far-reaching as Facebook. Was he being coy or does he actually have no clue how powerful Facebook has become?

#3 — He is Not the Best Communicator
Zuckerberg has demonstrated that he is willing to communicate openly and engage in dialogue with his employees, which is admirable. But he also failed to address the Cambridge Analytica scandal for almost a full week after the news broke. In the grand scheme of things, that's not a lot of time, but in our fast-paced world, it's an eternity. People demanded answers—and were right to do so—and Zuckerberg's silence spoke volumes. Was he gathering information about the scandal so that he could address it accurately and effectively? Or was he merely too scared to confront the negative reality surrounding his company until five days had passed? No one knows for sure, but the point is that good leaders understand quick, decisive communication is critical during times of crisis.

Mark Zuckerberg: Role Model, Cautionary Tale or Both?

The truth about Mark Zuckerberg and his leadership is much more complicated than I can cover in this short blog. There are many great things to take away from his leadership and several lessons that can be learned from the amazingly visionary way he has conducted himself as CEO. But he has made some mistakes that some would say are career killers.

The moral of the story is that success doesn't always equate with excellent leadership—sometimes people get lucky, strike gold, or simply let their positives outweigh their negatives. But I believe that the quickest and surest path to sustainable success is through sound, ethical, compassionate, and emotionally intelligent leadership.

What do you think? Have you learned any lessons from Mark Zuckerberg? What is your opinion on the Facebook data scandal? I want to know what you have to say, so please send me an email at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

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