Bad Managers

It’s shocking to me how many sub-par managers exist.  Sure 50% of all managers are by definition below average, but why is the average so low?

I’ve found empirically this is especially true for line-level and middle managers who oftentimes were promoted from within.  Upon reflection, I believe this is due to a few reasons:

  1. Many managers receive little to no formal training before (or even after) bring promoted.
  2. People often go into management because they’ve reached the end of their career ladder and it’s the only way to get promoted.  They may not want to be a manager, but they believe it’s the only way to grow their skills or increase their pay.
  3. Frequently line level managers, particularly those who are experienced and often know the answer to a problem have trouble letting their employees solve the problem themselves.
  4. Most managers are mentored by managers who themselves are guilty of the above!

I started this blog because of the sheer number of bad managers (especially IT managers) I’ve encountered in my career.  Although I don’t promise to turn everyone into the top 1%, my hope is that my insight and advice will help people manage just a little bit better.  More importantly, just like any good manager, I hope that you, the reader, will give me feedback in the form of comments and foster a conversation that improves everyone.

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