”What is the fate of the smart and the talented? The corporate world quickly finds really smart, talented people and then promotes them into management. But many of these leaders, having spent many years being rewarded for their intelligence, never look beyond their own capabilities to see and use the full genius of their team. These myopic leaders can end up draining intelligence from the people around them. These leaders become “diminishers” to others.
You know these people, because you’ve worked for them. They are smart leaders, but they shut down the smarts of others. They are idea killers and energy sappers. They are the ones who desperately need to prove they are the smartest person in the room. But, for them to be big, others have to be small. These leaders consume so much space that they leave little room for others to contribute. They create stress and pressure that can shut down good ideas. People quickly figure out that it is just easier and safer to retreat and let the boss do all the thinking.
Let’s face it. Corporate environments and modern organizations are the perfect set up for diminishing leadership. The org charts, the hierarchy, the titles, the approval matrixes have a built in tyranny that skews power toward the top and creates incentives for people to shut down and comply. In most hierarchical organizations, the playing field is rarely level. Corporations can be breeding grounds for diminishing leadership. As one CEO said, “it’s not like it isn’t tempting to be tyrannical when you can be.” The path of least resistance for smart, capable managers is often the path of the Diminisher.”
”The Peter Principle” sade det väl så träffande.