Why bad managers (like Donald Trump) are successful
Lets face it, most managers don’t have very good people skills. They are often too busy and under too much pressure to achieve results. So managers don’t give sufficient time to building strong working relationships with their staff, motivating them, empowering them and helping them to develop. There’s a sense among many managers now that talented staff won’t stay in an organisation for long so why invest time in them? The result is dumb emails, bad speeches, poor press.. and a demotivated team.
Even a small investment in staff relations can have a big impact on productivity and wellbeing in a workforce, particularly because these two characteristics are highly connected. I learnt many years ago that a friendly, supportive environment and praise for a job well done was worth more than a bonus to most staff. If the job is crappy, then money just doesn’t make it seem any better.
Meg Whitman is a shining example of how to get management right. Have a look at her “persistent queries” approach, where she asks positive questions to help teams get things done. This technique was covered by Forbes magazine’s profile in 2013 which ranked her as the world’s 15th most powerful woman:
- What do we think about that? Meaning: Own the outcome
- What’s the opportunity here? Meaning: Think big, don’t be bogged down in the past, create a framework and explain how to get there
- What does this do for the customer? Meaning: Stop explaining why idea is good for you — look at audience perspective
- Do we understand the problem? Meaning: Get to the facts & causes
- How can I help you get that accomplished? Meaning: Do it
- Shall we go around the room and see what everyone thinks? Meaning: Exploring, however offbeat
First and foremost Meg Whitman is a communicator. Secondly, she knows how to get ideas and actions from people without having to strip anybody down. The sense of empowerment that she instills is the reason her teams are motivated. Meg Whitman is stepping down as President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprises in February 2018. She ran for governor of California as a republic but supported Hilary Clinton in 2016. Great politicians are also great communicators although they invariably lack the straightforward honesty and clarity of a good manager. Perhaps Meg Whitman is too honest for high office in politics?
The trouble is that outside of the movies bad people can win in real life. A bad manager can still be very successful, but it is usually at the expense of their team. A ruthless streak, a lack of interest or engagement in personal issues, endless progress-chasing and bad mouthing, perhaps some bullying — all of these things can pay off well if the manager’s boss is prepared to turn a blind eye and just look at short term results, or if a company has a weak reporting and oversight structure. A high staff turnover can be blamed on how things are these days, the so called lack of drive in Millennials, or anything else.
We all love a caring and motivating manager with a conscience, a sense of social responsibility and good humour. But in my experience those managers are in a minority. If you have a bad manager then leaving a company is often the only option. If you stay and fight the odds are not good. You will rarely change a manager but you can change jobs and yes, the bad manager will have prevailed. Unlike in the movies, the Donald Trump characters usually win.
