Managers are idiots

Not mine of course but those that you order to satisfy their information needs. So remarkable we're all information workers as it takes time to satisfy these decision supporting systems. But  'Management by Excel' does not testify to a really visionary leadership and is more like bookkeeping. So I sometimes get the impression 'information slave' gives a better description for this stupidity.  

That said, it is not so much to the managers in  general, but the information they use. I think it's the difference between the entrepreneur and the manager. First is guided by the opportunities while the manager is often guided by the threats. A difference in attitude that is often caused by the organization. All kinds of rules about compliance are to blame for the many information we have to cough up daily.

Big versus small company

Discovery Channel had a reallity serie called Under Cover Boss where members of the executive board worked anonymous at the bottom of the 'food chain' in their company. They learned that the success of the company is not in the rules but by the honor and effort that people make in their work. Large corporations, with their abundance of silos and bureaucratic levels, often require considerable more time to make decisions. Too many managers, each with their own system ensure it takes forever the light is green to proceed.

Of course there are also  "slackers" who pretend to work and are only good at handling these systems and rules. This type is easily to be recognized as they disembarked quickly when there is really work to do. Or they like to hide behind their beloved systems when a difficult decisions must be made. The smaller company, especially it's a start-up, embrace risk at all levels because the whole business is a risk. The go/no go decisions is often made within a day and doesn't require a lot of people.

Stop managing, start leading

If this doesn't sound familiar you're probarbly just like the frogs placed in the cold water that slowly heat up.  The complacent frogs enjoy the warmer water at first. By the time the frogs realize what has happened, it was too late and they where cooked.

Luisteren

Fonetisch lezen

The way we work is changing and so the mode of governance must change also. We are becoming less sedentary, work outside regular business hours and boundary between work and private life is less harder. Controlling your subordinates with constraints does not inspire the knowledge workers or lead to innovation. Use the information in these decision support systems in the right way to develop a vision and find the way forward. Business is risk and seeking comfort leads to stagnation and degradation meaning managers become absolute and leaders will rise.
 
Finally
Ask yourself the question: Are my subordinates willing to do the extra mile for me instead of the money? 

If you, or better you subordinates honestly can say YES, your a leader or at least in the process to become one. Unfortunally every manager is finally a subordinate of the manager above so there is still a long way to go.