The Fawning Profile: Lehman Brothers Edition

Everywhere you look, there are rumors that Richard Fuld's job as CEO of Lehman Brothers is in jeopardy.  When I read today's batch of articles I said to myself "I bet my life that in the archives of at least one major business publication, there is an absolutely glowing profile of Fuld."

Sure enough, only two years ago Fortune published this fawning profile par excellence.  It contains all the essential elements of the genre:

1. A Pravda-esque obsession with the personality of the profilee and its powerful affect on the firm.  Lehman is great because Fuld is great.  Typically the great man is described as "combative" or "competitive" or even "hyper-competitive," with reference often made to his former athletic exploits.  If his heroics in the aftermath of 9/11 can be worked in somehow, so much the better.
2. No fawning profile is complete without a cluster of fawning quotes about the profilee from an assortment of industry names.  "Where would Lehman be without Dick Fuld?" is a nice one.
3. Almost complete neglect of the actual business the profilee runs, its underlying economics, and whether its current success is sustainable.

Comments

[1worldcurrency:]

Does Lehman advertise with Fortune? Americans rarely want to hear much truth.

2008 Aug 21 06:36 PM