In his New York Times column of December 7, 2008 (The Brightest Are Not Always the Best), Frank Rich sounded a cautionary note about the incoming Obama administration, especially the economic team. The latter is being filled with an all-star collection of intellectuals from economics, business and political life. He recalled David Halberstam's book, The Best and the Brightest, in which he described another all-star team assembled by President John Kennedy. This team, with McGeorge Bundy, Robert McNamara, and Walt Rostow had gilt-edged pedigrees from grade school through Ivy League institutions as students and professors, and in the business world. This was the same group that got us mired in Viet Nam: "...these bright and accomplished men repeatedly relied on their own biases to the exclusion of facts to the contrary, even when the whole approach was coming apart..."
The point of the column -- that the brightest are not always the best is what Halberstam says in his book: the title is intentionally ironic and its meaning is closer to Rich's title. Halberstam's classic history of Viet Nam showed how these bright and accomplished men repeatedly relied on their own biases to the exclusion of facts to the contrary, even when the whole approach was coming apart and destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Arrogance and hubris rank high among fatal flaws seen in leaders. Humility is a precious attribute in leaders; its absence frequently leads to disaster. In healthcare, we see this when an outstanding scientist is recruited to be chairman of a department and turns out to be a disaster as a leader because he won't listen, won't take advice, or lacks humility and sage judgment.