When is it OK for a computer company CEO to look worried at an all-hands meeting? While some employees felt queasy and confused or bolted for startups, Bill Gates grinned and cheerfully expressed his confidence in an appeal. Is he really that sure? Or is he putting on a happy face for his employees? For a huge company like Microsoft, that may be the best tactic. But in small startups and with typical cynical engineering environments, it can be the kiss of death for a company leader to express false confidence. The engineers will know when he or she is lying or, even worse, being an idiot for not seeing the writing on the wall. The truth is always the best in those cases, even if it seems everyone will pack up and head out the door. And if the employees actually believe the tinny bravado and stay, the company probably does not have the right people to keep afloat anyway.

At worst, a leader may be guilty of hubris, which, as many of us learned from the classic tragedies (Greek to Gothic and onwards), is the key characteristic that leads to downfall. When I read the NY Times special report summarizing how Judge Jackson went from being alarmed over a breakup to enforcing one, Bill turned into a classic tragic hero in my brain, except he as yet shows no hope of redemption. A little humility can go a long way. I wonder if the Japanese are appalled or impressed.