领导学：在实践中提升领导力（原书第10版）教案-指导手册 第17章　领导力的黑暗面

Chapter17-TheDarkSideofLeadership

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Part4:FocusontheSituation

Followers

Leader

Situation

Chapter17:TheDarkSideofLeadership

LearningObjectivesforChapter17

LO17-01:Clarifydestructiveleadership.

LO17-02:Characterizemanagerialincompetence.

LO17-03:Identifywhatismeantbymanagerialderailment.

LO17-04:Listthetenrootcausesofmanagerialincompetenceandderailment.

Chapter17BriefOutline

Introduction

DestructiveLeadership

ManagerialIncompetence

ManagerialDerailment

TheTenRootCausesofManagerialIncompetenceandDerailment:

1and2–StuffHappens:SituationalandFollowerFactorsinManagerialDerailment

3–TheLackofOrganizationalFit:StrangerinaStrangeLand

4and5–MoreCluesfortheClueless:LackofSituationalandSelf-Awareness

6–LackofIntelligenceandExpertise:RealMenofGenius

7–PoorFollowership:FireMePlease

8–Dark-SidePersonalityTraits:PersonalityasaMethodofBirthControl

9–LeadershipMotivation:GetPromotedorBeEffective

10–LeadershipB.S.:MythsThatPerpetuateManagerialIncompetence

Summary

ExtendedOutlineforChapter17

Introduction

Thischapterdrawsontheleader,follower,andsituationmaterialdescribedinearlierchapters.

Upuntilnow,thetwothingsweknowforcertainarethatthereisnouniversallyaccepteddefinitionofleadershipandtherearemanydifferentwaystolead

Thoughtherearedisagreementsonwhatittakestobeagoodleader

Thereisahighlevelofagreementonwhatconstitutesbadleadership

Thepurposeofthischapteristoreviewresearchpertainingtoandsomepracticalstepsforavoidingdestructiveleadership,managerialincompetence,andmanagerialderailment

Destructiveleadershipisassociatedwithindividualswhoareeffectiveatengagingfollowers,buildingteams,andgettingresultsthroughothers

Butwhoobtainresultsthataremorallyorethicallychallenged

Orthatundermineorganizationalorcommunitysuccess–seeHighlight17.1

Managerialincompetenceconcernsaperson’sinabilitytoengagefollowers,buildteams,orgetresultsthroughothers

Managerialderailmentdescribesthecommonreasonswhypeopleinpositionsofauthorityhavedifficultyengagingfollowers,buildingteams,orgettingresults

Knowingthe10rootcausesofmanagerialderailmentandhowtoavoidthesepitfallscanhelpyoubeamoreeffectiveleader

DestructiveLeadership

Onewaytoevaluateleadershipeffectivenessistolookataperson’sabilitytobuildteamsandgetresultsthroughothers

Effectiveleadersarethosewhocanmeetbothcriteria,whereineffectiveleadershavetroubleengagingstaff,buildingteamsorgettingresults

Thelastchapterintroducedtheideathattrulyeffectiveleadersneedtomeetanadditionalcriterion–whichistoraisethestandardofhumanconduct

Giventhesethreecriteria,wecanseethatasubsetofleadersaregoodatpaintingacompellingpictureofthefutureandgettingfollowerstofollowthatvision

Yettheendresultmaybemorallyorethicallyreprehensibleorworkagainstthecommongood

SomeexamplesincludeAttilatheHun,Hitler,Napoleon,Castro,andKinJong-Un

Suchleaderswereonlyinterestedinenrichingthemselvesandstayinginpower

Theyoftenledrepressedsocietiesorhadfollowersbentondeliveringdeathanddestruction–seeProfilesinLeadership17.1and17.2

Destructiveleadershipisnotlimitedtogovernmentorpoliticalleaders

Therecessionof2007-2009canbepartiallyattributedtoanumberofdestructiveleadersinthefinancialservicesindustry

Manygreedybankandinsuranceexecutivesdidagoodjobofbuildingteamsandgeneratingprofits

Buttheprofitsweregainedbycookingthebooks,sellingfinancialproductsthatweredoomedtofail,orfundingsubprimemortgagesthatownerscouldillafford

Similarly,themassacresatMyLai,Serbia,Bosnia,Croatia,Rwanda,Darfur,andSyriashowthatdestructiveleadershipalsooccursinmilitarysettings

Religiousleaderscanexhibitdestructiveleadership–JimJonesandDavidKoresh

SeeProfilesinLeadership17.2

Destructiveleadershipoccursatavarietyoflevelsinorganizations

Sometimesfirst-linesupervisors,mid-levelmanagers,andexecutiveswhodisagreewithcompanypoliciesandstrategieswillmotivatefollowerstopursueactionnotalignedwithorganizationalinterests

Thoughtheseleadersandfollowersmaybelievetheyaredoingtherightthing,theiractionsharmtheirorganization

SeeProfilesinLeadership17.3

TheU.S.hasanoverlyoptimisticoutlookonleadership

Mostleadershipbookshaveapositivetoneandmaintainthatleadershipiseasytolearn

Manyleadershiptrainingprogramsarebuiltontheerroneousassumptionthatleadersareinherentlygoodandeffective

Destructiveorincompetentleadershipistheexception,nottherule

Yetoneresearchershowsmostsocietiesarekleptocracies

Somearelegitimized,wherekingsandelectedofficialsdictatelawsorwriterulestoincreasetheirpowerorpersonalwealth

Dictatorsemergeafterviolentoverthrows,andwhilebenefittingfromthestatuschange,theyrarelyimprovethelotofcommoners–seeProfilesinLeadership17.1

Destructiveleadershipoccurswhenpeopleinpositionsofauthorityusetheirteam-buildingskillstoachievegreedy,selfish,orimmoralresults

Ashistorysuggests,evil,corrupt,greedy,andselfishleaderswilllikelycontinue

Afinalnoteaboutdestructiveleadershipisworthnoting

Whatmaybeconsidereddestructiveversusgoodleadershipmaybeintheeyeofthebeholder

ThoughmostseeKimJong-Unasadespot,thoseloyaltohimseehimasagreatleader

Thoseloyaltodestructiveleadersgenerallyarerewardedfortheirefforts

Sometimesintheformofabullet

Mostlybytitles,wealth,andpower

Sometimespolitical,religious,orbusinessleadersadvocatewhatmanybelievearethewrongthings,buttheseturnouttobetherightthingsovertime

LeeIacocca’spushforgovernmentbailoutofChrysler

MartinLutherKingJr.’svisionofcivilrights

BillClinton’sinterventionintheYugoslaviancivilwar

Theseareallexamplesofleadersaccusedofdoingbadthingsatthetime

Butwhoinretrospectimprovedtheorganizationsandsocietiestheyled

SeeProfilesinLeadership17.3

ManagerialIncompetence

Destructiveleadersareindividualswhoengagefollowersandbuildteamstoachievecorruptorevilends,incompetentmanagerscannotengagefollowers,buildteams,orgetresultsthroughothers

Researchshowsthattheremaybemoreincompetentthancompetentmanagers

Thebaserateofmanagerialincompetenceisestimatedat50–75percent

Youmightthinkthebaseratecouldnotbethishigh–butjustlooktothetextforanumberofexamplesbackingupthisestimate

Ifyoustilldoubtthisnumber,performthe“Dr.GordyTest”withyourstudentsoranysmallgroupanddrawyourownconclusions

Tousethistest,beginbycountingthetotalnumberofpeopleyouhavebeenleadorworkedforinthepast

Thistotalshouldincludeanyonewithwhomyouhadaformalfollowershiprole

Onceyouhaveanumber,countthenumberfromthisgroupforwhomyouwouldwillinglyworkforagain

Nowcalculatethepercentageofcompetentleadersinthetotalgroupofleaders

Mostpeoplewouldnotworkforamajorityofleaderstheyhavebeenexposedto

TheDr.Gordytestisnotapopularitycontest

Thosewhopassthetestareoftendescribedas

Toughbutfairleaders

Whoinspiredtheirfollowers

Andpushedtheirteamstoachievemorethananyonethoughtpossible

Mostpeoplefailthetest–implyingeffectiveleadershipisnoeasytask

Knowingwhatpeopledothatcausesthemtobeperceivedasincompetentmanagerscanhelpyouavoidmakingthesamemistakes–seeHighlights17.2and17.3

Ifthebaserateofmanagerialincompetenceis50to75percent,howcanorganizationssucceed?

Organizationsmaynotactuallyneedeverypersoninapositionofauthoritytobeacompetentmanager

Thekeystosuccessmaybefororganizationstoensure

Theyhaveahigherpercentageofcompetentmanagersthantheircompetitors

Andtheseindividualsareinpivotalleadershiproles

ManagerialDerailment

Giventhatmostpeopleinpositionsofauthorityareeitherdestructiveorincompetentleaders,theremustbemanywaysinwhichpeoplecanfailasleaders

Thepurposeofthissectionistodescribethemostcommonreasonswhypeoplefailinleadingothers

SeeHighlight17.4inwhichthetermmoronizationofmanagementisintroduced

Overthepast40yearsaconsiderableamountofresearchhasbeendoneonmanagerialderailment,andwedescribethelessonsastheyapplytoanyoneinapositionofauthority

Initialresearchonmanagerialderailmentintheearly1980swasledbyresearchersattheCenterforCreativeLeadership

ResearcherswenttotheHRdepartmentsinanumberofFortune100companiesseekinglistsoftheirhigh-potentialmanagers

DefinedasindividualswhohadbeenidentifiedaseventuallybecomingCEOoradirectreportsometimeinthefuture

Theywaitedthreeyearsandreturnedtoaskwhathappenedtothepeopleonthelists

Aquarterhadbeenpromotedtooneofthetoptwolevelsintheorganization

Aquarterhadnotyetbeenpromotedbutwouldbewhenapositionwasavailable

Aquarterhadleftthecompany

Aquarterwerenolongerconsideredforpromotion

Mostoftheseindividualsweredemotedorletgo

Thisgrouprepresentedcasesofmanagerialderailment

Severalotherresearchersinvestigatedthemanagerialderailmentphenomenon,withlargersamples

Thesestudiesusedlargersamples,Europeanandcross-generationalsamples,andmoresophisticatedassessmenttools–suchas360-degreefeedbackinstruments

Ahigherpercentageofwomenandminoritieswererepresentedinlaterresearch

Initiallistswereallwhitemales

Studiesfocusedonidentifyingfactorsresponsibleforderailedcandidatesinitiallygettingidentifiedaswellasfactorscontributingtotheirultimatederailment

Thoughthesestudiesvaried,therearemanyconsistentfindingsacrossthem

Bothsuccessfulandderailedcandidatesweresmart,ambitious,andwillingtodowhateverittooktogetthejobdone,theyhadconsiderabletechnicalexpertise

Allcandidateshadimpressivetrackrecordsintheirorganizations

Thederailedcandidatesexhibitedoneormorebehavioralpatternsnotevidentinthehighpotentialswhosucceeded

Fivekeyderailmentthemesrunthroughresearchresults–seeTable17.1

Failuretomeetbusinessobjectives

Thoughbothsuccessfulandderailedmanagersexperiencedbusinessdownturns,thetwohandledsetbacksquitedifferently

Successfulmanagerstookpersonalresponsibilityandsoughtsolutions

Derailedmanagersengagedinfinger-pointingandblamedothersforthedownturn

Aslongasthingsweregoingwell,itwasdifficulttodifferentiatethetwoonthisfactor

Somemanagerswereuntrustworthy–lying,cookingthebooks,orfailingtokeeppromises,commitments,ordeadlines

Otherswerenotparticularlysmartorlackedanin-depthunderstandingofthebusinesswhichresultedinpoorjudgment

Manyinpositionsofauthoritymaybehigh-potentialbutunabletoachieveresults

Somearepopularbutconfuseactivitywithproductivity

Otherswanttheirteamstogetjustenoughdonetostayofftheboss’sradar

Somemaybemotivatedtoachieveresultsbutconsistentlymakebaddecisionsorexhibitbehaviorsthatinterferewithteamcohesiveness

Suchasindecisiveness

Micromanaging

Ortakingcreditforothers’work

Ahallmarkofeffectiveleadersistheirabilitytogetresultsacrossavarietyofsituations

ThosewhofailthisaredestinedtofailtheDr.Gordytest

Inabilitytobuildandleadateam

Somehigh-potentialcandidatesderailedastheydidnotknowhowtobuildteams

Othersfailedbyhiringstaffmembersjustlikethemselves,whichmagnifiedtheirownstrengthsandweaknesses

Some,wantingthelimelight,hiredlesscapablestaff

Othersmicromanagedandwantedfollowerstomindlesslyobeyorders,thoughtheythemselveslackedrelevantsubjectmatterexpertise

Peopleinpositionsofauthoritywhospendtoomuchtimedoingactivitiesthatshouldbedonebyfollowerscanhavedifficultybuildingteamsbecause

Theydisempowerallthemanagerswhoworkforthem

Followersbecomedisengagedandteamperformancesuffers

Failuretobuildorleadteamsisacommonreasonpeopleinpositionsofauthorityareseenasincompetentmanagers

Twounderlyingreasonsfortheinabilitytobuildteamsare

Alackofteam-buildingknow-how

Anddark-sidepersonalitytraits

Mostpeopleinpositionsofauthorityunderstandtheimportanceofteamwork,buthavenocluehowtomakeithappen

Dark-sidepersonalitytraitsaredescribedinmoredetaillaterinthechapter

Inabilitytobuildrelationshipswithco-workers

Thesederailedmanagerswereinsensitivetotheneedsoftheirfollowersandcoworkers

Theywereoverlycompetitive,demanding,anddomineering

Manywereincapableofengagingemployeesandextremelyarrogant

Theydidwhateverneededtobedone,includingsteppingontoes

Thisisnotlimitedtotaskmasters–othertypesofleadersalsohavedifficultiesgettingalongwithothers

Someexhibitemotionaloutburstsandtempertantrums

Somefalselybelievefollowersareouttogetthem

Somefailtoprovidefollowerswithneededresourcesorsupport

Someburnoutteammemberswithconstantlyshiftingpriorities

PeopleproblemsarealsoaprimaryreasonCEOsfail

SomeCEOSgetalongwithsomedirectreportstoowellanddonottaketimelyactiontoaddressproblemperformers

Somefailbecausetheyplaceloyalsubordinatesintojobstheyareincapableofhandling

Inabilitytoadapt

Thisderailmentincludestheinabilitytoadapttonewbosses,businesses,cultures,orstructures

Somederailedmanagerspersistedinactingthesamewaywhenitwasnolongerappropriatetonewcircumstances

Newlyhiredseniorleaderssometimestrytotransformtheirorganizationsintothosetheyhadworkedforinthepast

Inadequatepreparationforpromotion

Inthepast,organizationscouldaffordtotaketimeindevelopingtheirbenchstrength

Today,organizationsareunderpressuretofindgoodleadersquickly,andincreasinglyaskingtheirownhigh-potentialbutinexperiencedleadershiptalenttofillkeyroles

Thoughbrightandmotivated

Theyoftenhavenarrowtechnicalbackgroundsandlacktheleadershipbreadthanddepthnecessaryforthenewposition

Theunfortunateresultisthatmanyleadersleavetheirorganizationsbecauseofinadequatepreparationforpromotion

Managerialderailmentappearsataboutthesameleveloffrequencyinmaleandfemalemanagers

Mostderailedmanagersmanifestseveralofthesethemes

Thepresenceofonlyoneofthesebehavioralpatternsisusuallynotenoughforderailment–withtheexceptionoffailingtomeetbusinessobjectives

Itseemslikelythesefivereasonsforfailureareuniversal

Abiggerconcerniswhythesemanagerialderailmentpattersappeartobefairlyobvious,yetsomanypeoplefailasleaders

Becausethesederailmentfactorsaremoreorlesspublicknowledge,itseemsthatsimplybeingawareofthereasonsdoesnotseemtobeenoughtopreventitfromhappening

Managerialincompetenceandderailmenthavesomeunderlyingrootcauses

Knowingwhattheyareandwhattodotominimizetheirimpactwillimprovetheoddsofbeingperceivedasacompetentmanager

TheTenRootCausesofManagerialIncompetenceandDerailment

AsFigure17.1shows,leader,followers,andsituationalfactorsallplayrolesinmanagerialderailment

LookingatFigure17.1,wemightthinkitisimpossibletobeacompetentmanagerbecausetherearesomanywaysinwhichpeopleinpositionsofauthoritycanfail

Thegoodnewsisthatwecanmitigatemanagerialderailmentby

Understandingthe10rootcauses

Assessingtheextenttowhichtheyareaffectingourabilitytobuildteamsandgetresults

Andthenadoptingsomeofthesuggestionsfoundinthissectiontominimizetheireffects

Figure17.1isnotmeanttobeacomprehensivelistofrootcauses,justthe10commonones

Thoughsituationalandfollowerfactorscansometimesplaykeyroles,leaderfactorsaremuchmorelikelytocausemanagerialincompetenceandderailment

Badorganizationalpracticescontributetomanagerialincompetence

Manycompanieshire,develop,andpromotethewrongpeople

1and2–StuffHappens:SituationalandFollowerFactorsinManagerialDerailment

ThestoryinHighlight17.5concernsascenarioinwhichsituationalfactorsinterferedwithaperson’sabilitytobuildteamsandgetresultsthroughothers

Situationalandfollowerfactorsmakeupthefirsttworootcausesofmanagerialincompetence

Whatisinterestingishowleadersreactwhenfacinghopelesschallenges

Competentmanagerstaketimetoreflectonthesituation,determinewhattheyneedtododifferently,thenensuretheirdecisionsareexecuted

Theyoftensucceedwhereothersfailbecausetheyinvestigateallalternativesandmakechangesneededtomaintainteamcohesivenessandperformance

Incompetentmanagersfacinghopelesssituationstendtoactquitedifferently

Theyarelikelytokeepdoingwhattheyhavealwaysdonebutexpectdifferentresults

Mosttrytoleveragetheirstrengthsratherthanchange,whicherodestheirabilitytobuildteamsandgetresults

Threeadditionalpointsaboutoverwhelmingsituationalandfollowerfactors

Althoughmanysituationalandfollowerfactorsarebeyondamanager’scontrol,themanagercancontrolhisorherreactionstotheseevents

Reflectionmaybethekeysuccessfactorwhenfacingdifficultsituations

Toooftenpeopleinpositionsofauthorityoverreact,withholdinformation,andrushtojudgmentratherthanexplainingfactsandsolicitingteammembersforideas

Asecondpointconcernstheconceptsofepisodicversuschronicincompetence

Episodicmanagerialincompetenceoccurswhenleadersfacesituationalorfollowereventsthattemporarilyinterferewiththeirabilitytobuildteamsandgetresults

Chronicmanagerialincompetenceoccurswheneventspermanentlydisruptaperson’sabilitytobuildteamsandgetresults

Finally,situationalfactorscanalsomaskmanagerialincompetence

Whenallisgoingsmoothly,mostpeopleassumecompetentmanagersrunorganizations

Inanemergencyorcrisis,chronicmanagerialincompetencecomestolight

3–TheLackofOrganizationalFit:StrangerinaStrangeLand

Organizationalculturealsoplaysanimportantroleinmanagerialcompetenceorincompetence

Organizationalcultureisnotapervasivesituationalfactorsthatdoommanagerstofail

Butaperson’sfitwithanorganization’sculturecanmakethemappearincompetent

Organizationalfitisthedegreeofagreementbetweenpersonalandorganizationalvaluesandbeliefs

Ifapersondoesnotsharethevaluesorbeliefsofthemajorityofmembers,theninalllikelihoodthispersonwillbeapoorfitwiththeorganization,

Thethirdrootcauseofmanagerialcompetenceandderailment

Highlight17.6describesaclassicexampleofhowthelackoforganizationalfitcancausesomeonetobeperceivedasanincompetentmanager

Organizationsmayrealizethatcontinuingtodothingsthesamewaywilleventuallyfail

Oneapproachtofosteringnewwaysofthinkingistohirepeoplefromtheoutside

Whetheranewcomer’sideasareaccepteddependslargelyontheorganization’sculture

Thefartherthenewideasstrayfromtheorganization’sprevailingvaluesandbeliefs

Themorelikelytheywillbedismissed

Managershiredfromoutsidefacethesamefateastransplantedorgans

Acceptedorrejected

Theoutsidehiremayhavetheexactknowledgeandskillsanorganizationneeds

Butiftheirsolutionsarenotaccepted,peoplequestionthenewhire’sintelligence

Theorganizationalfitphenomenonoccurswithpromotionsandacquisitions

NewCEOstrytomoldtheorganization’sculturearoundtheirpersonalvaluesandbeliefs

Somemanagersmaynolongerfitintothenewculture

Managersfromanacquiredcompanycanhavedifficultyfittingin

Whatcanleadersdotoavoidbeingseenasorganizationalculturemisfits?

Thebestthingtodoisminimizetheriskofithappeningatall

Thefirststepinthisprocessisforleaderstounderstandtheirownvalues,beliefs,andattitudestowardwork

Thesecondstepistodeterminetheextenttowhichtheculturesofpotentialemployersarealignedwiththesebeliefs

Thosewhodonotfitruntheriskofbeingseenasincompetentandmayfindthatworkingelsewherecanhelpthemtobeseenascompetentmanagers

4and5–MoreCluesfortheClueless:LackofSituationalandSelf-Awareness

Situationalawareness,thefourthrootcause,meanscompetentmanagersmustaccuratelyreadthesituationalandfollowerfactorsaffectingtheirteamsandremainvigilantforchanges

Competentmanagersnotonlyhavehighlevelsofsituationalawareness—theyalsohavehighlevelsofself-awareness

Thesemanagersfindwaystoeithermanageorstaffaroundtheirpersonalknowledgeandskillgaps

Incompetentmanagerscanhavemajorsituationalandself-awarenessblindspots

Theyeitherareunawareofordiscounttheimpactofkeysituationalorfollowerevents

Oroverestimatetheirabilitytobuildteamsandgetresults

SeeHighlight17.7

Researchshowsthatinmanycasesincompetenceisbliss

Managerswhoconsistentlyoverratedtheirperformanceon360-degreefeedback

Tendedtooverratetheirperformanceoneverythingtheydid

Theperceivedthemselvesasgoodleaders,butalsoexcellentdrivers,parents,athletes,judgesofcharacter,andsoon

Thetendtooverlookevidencetothecontrary

Therearetworeasonswhysomeleaderslackofsituationalandself-awareness

First,someincompetentmanagersareself-deluding,andthemostincompetentarethemostself-deluding

Thesemanagerssufferfromahighlyactiverealitydistortionfield,wheretheyonlytakeininformationthatalignswiththeirself-perceptionsanddiscountcontraryevidence

Second,someincompetentmanagerslacksituationalandself-awarenessbecausetheyfailtoheeddirectreportfeedback

Theyspendmoretimedevelopingrelationshipswithsuperiorsthanfollowers

Theyoftenignorefollowerfeedback,evenwhenitwouldhelpthembuildteamsandgetresults

Byregularlyshootingthemessenger,theydampenadditionalfeedback

Thismaypushself-startersovertothedarksideoffollowership

Whatcanpeopleinpositionsofauthoritydotoeliminatealackofsituationalandself-awareness?

Itisimperativetheygetregularfeedbackontheirperformance,ideally360-degree

Theyshouldregularlyaskteammembersforideasonimprovingteamperformance

Theymuststayabreastofimportantsituationalandfollowerevents

Competentmanagersencourageteammemberstoshareideasandsolutionsforimprovingteammoraleandperformance

Evenifitmeanstellingleaderswhattheypersonallyneedtododifferentlytobeeffective

6–LackofIntelligenceandExpertise:RealMenofGenius

Thesixthrootcauseofmanagerialderailmentconcernsjudgment

Businessleadersaresupposedtodirectresourcestowardactivitiesthatincreaseprofitability

Buttheyoftenspendtimeandmoneycompletingprojectsthatdonotmatter

Intelligenceistheabilitytothinkclearly,whichinvolvessomesignificantcomponents

Learningnewinformationquickly

Makinggoodassumptionsandinferences

Seeingconnectionsbetweenseeminglyunrelatedissues

Accuratelyprioritizingissues

Generatingpotentialsolutions

Understandingtheimplicationsofvariousdecisionoptions

Andbeingquickonone’sfeet

Becauseamanager’sintelligenceisdirectlyrelatedtohisorherabilitytomakedecisions,intelligencealsoaffectsamanager’sabilitytobuildcohesiveteamsandgetresults

Beingsmartimprovestheoddsofbeingacompetentmanager

Beinglessintelligentimprovestheoddsofbeingperceivedasincompetent

Butintelligencealonedoesnotequalgoodjudgment

Peoplewithhighsubjectmatterexpertisehastherelevantknowledgeorexperienceapersonneedstosolveaproblem

Allpositionsofauthorityrequiressomeleveloftechnicalexpertise

Peopleruntheriskofbeingseenasincompetentmanagersanytimetheymoveintojobsunrelatedtotheirtechnicalorfunctionalexpertise–seeHighlight17.8

Relevantexpertiseincreasestheoddsofbeingacompetentmanager

Team-buildingknow-howisthedegreetowhichaleaderknowsthestepsandprocessesneededtobuildhigh-performingteams

Thoughmostpeopleacknowledgetheimportanceofteamwork,mostmanagershavenoideahowtomaketeamworkhappen

Whatcanleadersdotomakeupforalackofintelligence,relevantsubjectmatterexpertise,orteam-building-know-how?

Technologyandstaffingcanmakeupforshortfallsinintelligenceandsubjectmatterexpertise

Thebetterthesystems,thelowertheintelligenceneededtooperatethesystem

Theymayalsosurroundthemselveswithsmart,experiencedpeople

Anotherwaytoimprovetheoddsofbecomingacompetentmanageristhroughhardwork

Attendingtrainingprogramshelpsleadersbuildrelevantexpertise

TheRocketModelhelpsmanagersunderstandthecriticalcomponentsofandactionsneededtoimproveteamfunctioningandperformance

7–PoorFollowership:FireMe,Please

Angeringone’sbossthroughpoorfollowership,theseventhrootcauseofmanagerialincompetenceandderailment,isnotaparticularlyeffectivecareeradvancementstrategy

SeeHighlight17.9whichillustrateshowpeopleinpositionsofauthoritywhoarecriticizersoftenbecomeincompetentmanagers

Brown-nosersandslackersaremostlikelytobeseenasincompetentmanagers

Slackersareunlikelytobuildteamsorgetresults

Criticizersandnofuntobearound

Followershipnotonlyaffectshowoneleads,italsodetermineswhetheroneisseenasacompetentorincompetentmanager

Sowhatcanleadersdotoavoidbeingseenasincompetentmanagersduetofollowershiptypes?

Thefirstthingistheyneedtorealizethateverythingdoneatwork(oroutsidework)counts

Second,leadersneedtohonestlyassesstheirfollowertypes

Aperson’simmediatebossistheleadingcauseofdysfunctionalfollowertypes

Aleaderworkingforanincompetentbossoftenfindsanotherboss–seeHighlight17.10

8–Dark-SidePersonalityTraits:PersonalityasaMethodofBirthControl

Dark-sidepersonalitytraitsaretheeighthrootcauseofmanagerialincompetenceandinvolves

Irritating,counterproductivebehavioraltendenciesthatinterferewithale