Have we learned charisma does not equal good manager?

Conrad

As far back as I recall, I've argued the Yanks and ourselves have been appointing the wrong people to the board. Not so much the Germans and Japanese.

All too often appoitments are based on charisma and so called natural 'leadership' where bearish, borish loud mouths stride in place of quiet thoughtful managers perhaps from an engineering 'hands on' back ground.
Stanford, the Lehmans bloke, Fred The Shred, the Enron crook and no doubt hundreds of others.

These 'stars' are not good at listening and the nodding Donkeys around the table dare not speak thier minds. Hence we end up with 'stars', wrestling total control fueled by thier own meglamaniacal arrogance.

What happened to appointing methodical careful people that have worked thier way up from the post room for 50 years? When did star quality charisma usurp the quiet qualities of experience, domain knowledge and caution?

Most impotantly, have we learned?

I posit we have not learned. Go to any BBQ and note the loud charismatic bore, and how people are robotised into nodding Donkeys by these prats. Its as if people want to please these loud mouths, but why? Often you will find the quiet person in the corner is far wiser, so why do we love to nod along?

456789

I agree - and have also seen this trend when applying for normal jobs - they tend to be looking for loud, charasmatic people over people who aren't as talkative and loud but have a better knowledge of the technical workings of the job - no wonder all these audits have been messed up lately....

VfM4meplse

Every team needs a diverse skill mix to function optimally. What is often seen is a imbalance of lunatics running asylums.

geoffky

This is so true..Then when the staff get demotivated by the loudmouth it is them who are to blame and not the elephant in the room..I have seen this so many times..and they usually are the bullying type...

Conrad

456789 wrote: »

I agree - and have also seen this trend when applying for normal jobs - they tend to be looking for loud, charasmatic people over people who aren't as talkative and loud but have a better knowledge of the technical workings of the job - no wonder all these audits have been messed up lately....

I couldn't agree more.

Conrad

This whole credit crunch was caused by arrogant Gods heading Banks.
This is the crux of the matter.
Unless we learn to see beyond charismaaaaaa, we will make the same mistakes again in this and other industries.

Time to clear out the Jerry Robinsons

Sir_Humphrey

If you want to be led by quiet introverts, then join the Civil Service. Flash Harrys are few and far between.

Really2

Conrad wrote: »

This whole credit crunch was caused by arrogant Gods heading Banks.
This is the crux of the matter.
Unless we learn to see beyond charismaaaaaa, we will make the same mistakes again in this and other industries.

Time to clear out the Jerry Robinsons

Sorry I disagree you average financial boff is not exactly charismatic.
Power and sucess went to their heads and they took more and more risks because they felt invinsable and that it would never end.

Put most people in the same possision for the same time and I bet it still would of happend.

Greed and power and risk caused it not charisma.

Really2

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

If you want to be led by quiet introverts, then join the Civil Service. Flash Harrys are few and far between.

But coruption and inefficiancy is still as preverlent.

I rest my case Charisma as nothing to do with it, it is just abuse of power.

matthewcb

Conrad wrote: »

Stanford, the Lehmans bloke, Fred The Shred, the Enron crook and no doubt hundreds of others.

You forgot the biggest one of all - Tony Blair.

There's nothing wrong with charisma, but when it becomes a substitute for other, more important, leadership qualities you have a problem. Or rather we *all* now have a problem.

JoeyG

How do the Germans and Japanese go about appointing leaders?