How to Identify a Weak Manager
Published on February 8, 2017
By Donn Carr - President, Principal Carr Management Group
This is from my February newsletter. One of four powerful articles. If you are not currently receiving it, let me know. It is free, no spam, no cookies, only knowledge that can be put to use now. My gift to the universe. Knowledge is much to precious to not be shared. Enjoy the article.
It has always amazed me the shear number of weak managers in the workplace. This isn’t something new; it’s been this way for as long as I can remember. Sadly, these fake leaders rarely get identified in a timely manner by upper management and either properly trained, or removed. Instead they linger on often times doing irreparable damage including running off good employees. The damage they can do to an organization is beyond financial measure.
I have found that there are five key traits that are consistent with weak managers. As you read through them, consider these a litmus test, to quickly identify any weak managers that may be on your team. You know the one; that person who is a leader in name or title, but not in deed. I highly recommend that you also put yourself to this same test and see how YOU score. It may well surprise you.
If you find your have one, maybe even two of these qualities, you can work to overcome them and get yourself back on track. Any more than two, I would recommend that you begin building your safety net immediately; your team is going to fail and so will you.
1. Lives in the past. Managers in the lowest talent quartile constantly talk about the good old days. They are always looking back at how it used to be.
People simply are not motivated by the same things they once were. Money does not drive behavior today as it did in the past. We live in a day and age where job security simply isn’t the anchor is once was. Today’s human capital marketplace has changed all of that.
The tactics you utilize and engage to manage today are far different from those used in the past. You must be resilient and flexible or you will indeed fail.
People want to hear about the future, and the only way your company can profit from this dynamic change is to plan for it and to talk about it.
2. Lack of risk taking. Taking risks is the sign of a true leader. You will never be a successful leader, or manager for that matter, if you are unwilling to take risks. There is much truth in the old adage “Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way.” It truly does boil down to these three choices.
Fake, spineless managers are full of clichés they hide behind to justify their fears and their lack of action. They will use phrases such as “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” “Don’t rock the boat”, or “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” The list of their justifications is endless. Sadly, most of these fake leaders have been hiding behind these lies for so long they have convinced themselves that these justifications are real. They enjoy the status quo, and will fight with all their might to keep it that way.
Real leaders say, “If it's not broke, break it, and then find ways to make it better.”
Whenever a new idea comes from employees or colleagues these fake leaders quickly scrutinize them. They want to find as much fault in them as they can. They will look for every possible negative outcome they can think of to avoid any type of change. They simply cannot see, or are willing to see, the possibility in new ways of thinking. Their entire managerial careers have been governed by the fear, and shrinking, not expanding their comfort zones.
Adding to this tragedy is these “token” leaders do not even realize this is a character deficit.
3. Demands rather than earns respect. A strong leader will never have to remind people of their title. Their subordinates, peers, and customers know who they are. This respect occurs naturally through the deeds and the examples the leader sets.
Contrast this to the weak leaders who feel they must remind subordinates of their titles. The weak leader’s business card will always have an impressive title after the name, often using the word “executive” somewhere in the phrase, as if the reader didn’t know that a vice president is an executive.
Since this faux-leader has not yet earned respect from their group, they find themselves challenged by those they are to lead, and the only way they know now to assure victory is to pull rank. The difference between a leader who has forced followers and one who has a willing, enthusiastic support team is the difference between a minnow and a tiger shark.
HINT: If you find yourself needing to continually justify your position in the company – guess what? You're the minnow.
There are several keys to earning respect and loyalty with your team.
* Set a consistent example for others to follow.
* Practice what you preach. Don’t ask employees to be on time when you are always late. If you are not willing to do what you ask of them, do not expect them to do what you ask.
* Always pass along credit to the employees; even if their involvement was marginal compared to yours. No one likes a glory-hound, especially in a boss.
*Provide a vision for the organization you manage.
This leads me to weak leader test number 4 …
4. Vision-less. By the very definition of a leader, two things must exist. The first is followers. The second is a direction, somewhere to take the followers. It is here that millions of managers in today’s modern business world miss the mark.
So. How do you spot the vision-less manager? Ask them, “What is your vision for the future of your department, division, etc.” If an IMMEDIATE answer does not follow summed up on ONE CLEAR and distinct sentence – you’ve just found an imposter. If they take out their business card, flip it over and then read the company mission statement … strike two.
I'm not suggesting that managers ignore the overall company mission; far from it. Each individual person who wants to lead must have a vision that sets the direction for those in his/her domain.
That vision should be supportive of but not exactly a repeat of the entire organization's mission. People want a purpose to help give their work meaning, something to strive for. If they don't get it from management, count on it, they'll find an empowering vision somewhere else.
Managers need to figure out what they want for the organization in the future, condense it down to something clear, and beat the drum consistently so that every employee knows it by heart.
5. No follow through. Effective leaders demand and get results for the major initiatives that they want to implement, often by the power of their own personalities.
The weak manager in contrast, aborts a project at the first sign of trouble, not recognizing the opportunity and success that lies just beyond the wall of failure.
This is an everyday occurrence that we see far too often. The accountant brings a report into the senior manager’s office that shows red ink at the start of a project and this fake leader immediately withdraws support of the project when only a week previously he was touting this as the strategic paradigm shift of the future.
Know the problem. Know the game plan that you are following, and know the reasonable effects that can come from the change. This includes possible red ink. Then make a decision and stick to it.
Now you know what to look for in your team. Your job now is to go through your organization on a “Weak Manager Discovery Tour”, and find those who aren’t leading but merely existing, and costing the company dearly in both productivity and profits.
PS – if you are one of them, now you know. Once identified, you can help them develop their skills, re-assign the lost causes, or ignore the problem altogether.
So what's it going to be? Your future, the future of your company, lies in the decisions you make now that you know.