Who need sycophants?

Often, I wonder why any manager with a functioning brain would hire sycophants to surround him or her, and what this tells about the business acumen of such and individual? Of course, as we all know that a manager who surrounds themselves with sycophants is making a strategic choice — but not a smart one. 

And the choice reveals far more about their psychology and insecurities than about their business acumen. In fact, leaders hire sycophants when protecting their ego feels more important than protecting the organization. If one cannot tolerate dissent, challenge, being wrong or being questioned they will hire people who will never threaten their self-image. 

Let’s say that it’s emotional safety masquerading as leadership. That kind of leader is Trump and the sycophant is Rubio, or Kennedy or Hegseth to name a few. If Trump had any self-confidence he would hire strong people. Instead, our insecure president hires agreeable people that provide him with constant validation, the illusion of competence, the feeling of being in control and a psychological crutch. It’s true that being surrounded by sycophants makes daily life easier. 

There are no debates, no push-back and no uncomfortable truths to hear. The cost however is enormous with plenty of blind spots, strategic errors, group-think and stagnation. A president like Trump who surrounds himself with sycophants is signaling at least one of the following traits. Poor judgment as he can’t distinguish competence from compliance, alignment from flattery and loyalty from dependency. 

Fragile decision-making as bad news is filtered, risks hidden and mistakes unchallenged. Lack of strategic maturity as great leaders know they need dissent, debate, diverse perspectives and people who dare say “you’re wrong”. Finally a final trait is fear-based leadership, as Trump needs flattery to function, he’s not leading he’s managing their own anxiety. 

Sycophants don’t gather around strong leaders but gather around leaders who need them, and that need is the real problem.

A healthy knee hits the ground

To celebrate May Day, as we arrived late afternoon in San Francisco. I didn’t have a better idea than raising my glance to admire some Victorian architectural detail on a home while we were walking one of the city’s many steep hills. I hit something with my right foot, lost my balance and fell right on my left knee. 

When this kind of fall happens, the pain is always intense. In fact falling on one’s knee can cause a serious injuries like patella fractures, ligament or meniscus tears, and severe contusions, often leading to immediate swelling, bruising, and inability to bear weight. In my case there was a bloody bruise over the knee cap, but the beast I am kept on walking up and down the hilly streets. 

I felt okay when I went to bed but woke up at midnight with some intense pain, particularly in the back of my knee. I meditated, took no drug and eventually went back to sleep. The next morning my knee was both stiff swollen, I took a pain killer and decided to participate in a rather long 8 miles walk to and through Golden Gate Park. Strong at first, the pain gradually dissipated through the day and I thought I was “saved”. 

The night was okay, but the next morning my knee’s pain and stiffness were intense. I swallowed another painkiller and followed wife and daughter on a hike over Marin County, to Mount Tamalpais known locally as “Mount Tam”, through a mountain bike trail. 

Gradually, the horrible pain disappeared and by the end of the day and 6.5 miles later, it felt okay. From that day one, there was pain in the morning that quickly went away as soon as there was activity and blood circulation. 

Had I listened to my body I would have stayed home, put an ice pack on my knee, elevated my leg and probably would have suffered much more. All this to show that when there is nothing broken, activity that promotes blood circulation is a better remedy than laying down!

Marin County, California

I’ve always had a weak spot for Sausalito and Marin County that both sit North of San Francisco. Not only do the views of the City from that shore are unique as well as stunning, but they offer a significant relief from the hustle bustle of the city life. 

I’ve stopped in Sausalito many times over the years, and it‘s always been the spot where I could marvel at the wonderful city across the Golden Gate bridge.

If I were so lucky to live in San Francisco, would I live in that City or in its opposite neighbor across that bridge? 

Yes, most definitely! I would honor my weak spot I alluded to in the opening paragraph of this blog. Would I’d be happy there? Quite possibly! Would it ever happen in my lifetime? Why not after all…

In the meantime, our daughter who lives in San Francisco is fully enjoying an incredible view that is totally one of a kind!

San Francisco, the progressive city

Today, our daughter guided us to a complete walking tout of San Francisco. Solely walking maybe not, but we’ll return to this. Our morning walk began at the San Francisco Golden Gate Park that at over 1,000 acres is larger than NYC's Central Park. 

This iconic spot includes attractions like the Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Botanical Garden, and Conservatory of Flowers. The longer afternoon walk took us to the Embarcadero another mandatory place for any City visitor, located at the water edge, followed with a delightful dinner at Dasha, a Russian restaurant. 

Returning home was the main attraction though as we boarded a driver-less Google-Waymo taxi (see video below). These are available since 2021 and while they were 300 in operation two years ago, there are now 800 of them being made available to the public. 

It’s that car which took us back up the hill to our daughter’s charming apartment with expansive views of the San Francisco city center and East Bay.

The Waymo ride was a first for us that comforted us that self driving cars will soon be the norm for baby boomers that otherwise would no longer be able to drive, but instead will get a salutary extension through AI technology! 

Cruising up the Pacific Coast

We’ve driven California Route 1 for the first time from North to South in 2022 and on May 1 of 2026 we did it again from South to North. It’s important to note that California’s Highway 1 through Big Sur fully reopened on January 14, 2026, following a major three-year closure caused by severe landslides and roadway collapses that began in early 2023. 

The closure, spanning roughly 90 miles, was one of the longest in its history, with crews repairing damage at sites like Paul's Slide and Regent's Slide. 

This time it wasn’t as spectacular as we were driving on the hill side of the route instead of enjoying more of the seaside views, but was still as exciting. Traffic was light, and the morning for in many past took away some of the beauty of that drive. 

Still, the entire drive was never boring, which goes a long way in saying that California is really a gorgeous state. 

We made it to San Francisco late afternoon after we climbed the hilly streets of the neighborhood where our daughter lives. We were delighted to see her and to personally deliver her automobile in excellent condition. 

That evening as we were walking I just just stumble and fell on my left knee, as I was looking at some building up above. At the time, I simply hoped it would be alright. 

We were delighted that we made it in one piece after another 1,250 miles (2 000 km) drive. As for me, the driver, I was glad the trip was over!

From the Alabama Hills to the sea…

Alabama Hills like the ones found in Lone Pine, California, between the small town and the towering Sierra mountain chain.

The Alabama Hills are a range of hills and unique rock formations that we visited on Thursday morning and have been for a very long time a popular filming location for television and movie productions, especially Westerns set in an archetypally rugged, isolated setting. 

Why the out-of-place name “Alabama?” Because the nearby hills were named for the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship deployed during the American Civil War. When news of the ship's exploits reached prospectors in California sympathetic to the Confederates, they named many mining claims after the ship, and the name came to be applied to the entire range. 

The place became an ideal place for Hollywood to shoot films. The first known movies to be filmed there are the lost films Water, Water Everywhere and Cupid, the Cowpuncher, both shot in 1919 and released in early 1920. 

Since then, hundreds of movies have been filmed there. After that it was a long, scenic, turning, twisting, scary-narrow, with few guard rail protection and a never ending mountain road across to Backersville, followed by a tamer itinerary to the Pacific with plenty of agriculture and oil drilling to complete the scene. 

The Pacific Coast would be where our journey would stop for the day as we ran out of continent, in Cambria, a small coastal town on Route 101. A full day of driving, sightseeing and fun.

One additional National Park

We have seen many American National Parks and without falling into a "collecting habit”, it’s always tempting to add an extra one to the list. That’s precisely what I did this time by visiting Death Valley National Park to our personal list. 

Not that I ever had good things about that place, but because it happens to be one of the favorites from French visitors and I wanted to know what the redeeming values of the place do to a Gallic crowd. So, outside of Zabriskie Point and the Sand Dunes, I wasn’t impressed. As a result, I still don’t understand why my countrymen are so infatuated with that Park. 

I suspect it’s because in July 1966, a French adventurer and former paratrooper named Jean Pierre Marquant, then aged 28, successfully hiked over 100 miles through Death Valley in extreme, record-breaking summer temperatures ranging from 100 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, a feat many experts thought would kill him. This factoid must have made a searing impression on the minds of the French tourists. 

We ended that second day on the road in Lone Pine, in California. Founded in the 1860s as a supply hub for gold and silver mines, Lone Pine was originally a rowdy frontier town. It was decimated by a massive earthquake in 1872. 

Later, it became "Hollywood’s West" as the primary filming location for hundreds of classic Westerns in the Alabama Hills. Today, the economy is driven by tourism, acting as the gateway to Mount Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48 (at 14,505 feet or 4,421 meters) and the Alabama Hills. 

It should thrive on hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, and film history buffs. One may wonder if local services, mining/quarrying, and accommodations can support the community, alongside a notable percentage of government workers? Still, at least to me, the town seems to be slowly dying as it seems incapable of capitalizing on its incredibly beautiful mountain background.