Lousy Managers Can Never Lead
by Miki Saxon
Did you know that you can’t lead if you’re a lousy manager? No matter how many leadership classes you take, books you read and seminars you attend if you don’t build good management skills you won’t lead anyone anywhere.
(By the same token, and I’ve said this many times, if you don’t practice so-called leadership skills you’ll have a tough time managing today’s workforce.)
Steve Wyrostek, in a guest post at Brilliant Leadership, has a list of actions so you can figure out if you’re a bad boss or a good one. He says “that a managerial jerk can never achieve good, sustainable results.”
True, although bad managers are known for bringing lots of fresh blood into their area—and then spilling it.
The trouble is that you can be a lousy manager without being terrible, a jerk or downright evil.
Call it lousy by benign neglect.
These are the ones who leave their people alone to find their own way with little guidance and less feedback.
Rather than manage they often focus on the big picture, providing their people with a detailed vision of what the future holds, but no operational map of how to get there, how far they’ve come or how far is left to go.
Leadership skills are important, but they can’t come at the expense of good management.
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Image credit: flickr
March 27th, 2009 at 6:35 am
I think you can lead if you are lousy manager. You just need good managers to cover your back. Teamwork you see.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Different views are what makes a horse race, Mike.
Teamwork is great, but respect is a needed component of “leadership’ and I’ve never met a worker who respected someone in a boss role who couldn’t do his/her own work.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
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May 11th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Is it possible for a lousy manger to be popular with his staff ?? Would love to hear your opinion !! Thanks so much
May 11th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Hi Allen, that probably depends on how you define ‘popular’.
If you mean do people like to grab a beer with their lousy manager and talk about the home team, absolutely.
As I said, lousy doesn’t mean being terrible, a jerk or downright evil. Lots of lousy managers are great folks and some are actually loved by their people.
Even the abusive managers out there are popular in a co-dependent kind of way.