Golden Oldies: Lousy Managers Can Never Lead
by Miki SaxonIt’s amazing to me, but looking back over the last decade of writing I find posts that still impress, with information that is as useful now as when it was written. Golden Oldies is a collection of what I consider some of the best posts during that time.
The value of the “good” in “good management” has always been hard to measure. Although there are some hard metrics, “good” has always been subject to a strong, subjective view. Now, new research from Harvard Business School provides solid, quantitative metrics that prove the value and ROI of “good.” Read other Golden Oldies here.
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.
Flickr image credit: Kayce L.
