9-8-10 Are You A Bad Executive?

I read a blog entry today…. On BNET, by Steve Tobak about the “7 signs you may be a bad manager”. I recommend that you read the article. You can find it here.

7 Signs You May Be a Bad Manager by Steve Tobak.

Be sure to come back. I’ll wait…….

While I won’t recreate Tobak’s list here, I would like to draw a couple of parallels with the Executive Skills and Traits model that I’ve relentlessly discussed on this blog (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).

For example, one to the signs mentioned by Tobak is that your “allies are distancing themselves from you”. One of the Communication Skills that I’ve discussed on several occasions is the need for the new/aspiring executive to create and maintain a network (1-4-10 Let's Talk). One of the members in your network should absolutely be the person you turn to for reality checks. For me, that was my executive coach. I’ve talked about this role in the past (2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6). Let’s face it, if you are developing into a bad executive, it isn’t happening overnight. There are indications that other people see as it is happening. So your executive coach or sounding board or whatever you choose to call it has to be the person that is willing and able to give you the figurative slap upside the head when you are being an ass.

Another sign discussed by Tobak that you are a bad manager is that “your decision-making is compromised”. Being decisive is a critical Execution Skill for the executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). Does every decision you make lately seem to turn into crap? And more importantly, have you been able to rationalize each bad outcome? If so, then yes, you are headed down the road of a bad executive. You need to step back and analyze your outcomes -- ask yourself some questions. What key item did I miss leading up to the decision? Did I ignore someone that I should’ve listened to? Did I not get the right people involved? And as important, you can’t let a few poor decisions freeze you from future action.

Take some time to analyze your performance, your interactions, and your organization. Get feedback. Then take action so that you aren’t one of those bad executives that everyone loves to talk about.

Cheers!