For anybody that works at a corporation...
I am always surprised when Executive Management can't tell that the upper manager reporting to them is a complete and utter moron. A moron that it is so obvious to their peers and reports.
I always wonder how seemingly intelligent Execs hire/promote such obviously incompetent managers?
Seriously. I'm looking to get into an upper management position, for any exec members or people who hire decision makers, how are do you evaluate people?
^^^good to know. I can brush up in that area.
In the years just before I retired, I saw too much diversification. It overrode qualifications.
@GACA, I was just giving you shit about your writing, but in the corporate world it is important. On TUSCL, it is just rare. And you are not even close to the worst offenders.
Some people are just great at managing up, even if everyone lateral and below thinks they are idiots. On the other hand, senior execs always have a bigger, broader strategic view, and they may see some skill in lower level management that you don't understand, because you don't have the same view.
When it comes to hiring execs, the general evaluation framework I apply is: executive leadership skills, enduring business impact of accomplishments, and business/organizational/product breadth & depth of skills. I find that, rather than organizing your qualifications into a timeline-based or project-based stream-of-conscioussness, if you organize your qualifications & accomplishments along those three main areas, it is far easier for a hiring executive to build the big picture of what you've done and what you are capable of. And in the interview, whether or not you can quickly build a clear picture of your strategic accomplishments, rather than give me a dump of a zillion unorganized details and make me sort through them with questions, is itself a huge test of how high-level a thinker you are.
I acquiesced many years ago to the truth of the Dilbert Principle. Accepting the reality of this rule of nature avoids a lot of futile frustration.
First off, upper management is often not as incompetent as the people below them seem to believe. Employees often dislike decisions made from above, but they often don't know every data input that senior managers must factor into a decision.
Beyond competency, traits like loyalty, emotional balance and a committed attitude are key in my experience. Senior executives have broad areas of responsibility and are subject to a variety of ongoing political considerations, so they tend to promote people who they can rely upon (in a number of ways) and who won't make them look bad.
I'm witnessing the Dilbert Principle first hand, where a guy who is technically skilled and experienced is being moved into a management role. The trouble is he is kind of a jerk and shouldn't manage anyone.
Google "Peter principle".
GMD hit the nail on the head.
The Peter Principle is something I've found to be valid. The Dilbert Principle is interesting and amusing, but I think it skips a few steps.
There are a couple things at play:
Management used to be a realm for engineers, those who best knew the product (think Henry Ford). It's now become more of a realm for sales, those who best sell the product. Sales is often better at communicating, understanding the politics and making deals happen, but isn't as good at understanding the technical side or details -- they hire Engineers to know that stuff. So, as a result, yes, management nowadays tends to be less detail-minded and "intelligent" as in understanding of processes and causes and effects, but more apt to have the connections to make deals happen and the persuasive skills to do so. Whether that's made things better or worse ... hard to say.
Part of the problem with intelligence is smart folks tend to dote on what is the best or right thing to do versus all other options and go into painstaking detail as to making something as great as it can be, taking hours or days. Honestly, this isn't real good for business, which isn't so concerned with things being perfect as it is with things getting done quickly and efficiently. That "jerk" that ended up being a manager? Yeah, he's a jerk, but he gets people to do what they need to do and gets stuff done. So of course the folks above him love him.
So yeah ... one thing I've come to realize is that "being smart" doesn't really help you all that much if you want to climb the ladder. If you're smart, I think the best thing you can do is find something at a middle or lower level that allows you to do the kind of thinking you want to do, make enough to survive, then have enough free time to pursue other passions that stimulate your mind more.
^^^great point Jim
I've come to realize I'm not management material. I'm an introverted perfectionist. Definitely more of an engineer than a salesman.
Engineer CEOs are making a bit of a comeback as everything becomes more process-oriented and advanced metrics take hold, but it's still going to be a while before we see the trend return.
If there's anything I've found after leaving school, it's that being smart almost hurts you more than it helps you in the business world. There are a variety of reasons why intelligence correlates with depression. And this is part of why I club -- for a small (sometimes not so small) price, the ladies come to me, I don't have to chat them up all that much, and I can feel a little less like I'm getting pushed around by those with power but no brains, even though I know I'll go back to it the next day.
I agree in part with "AJ" ( the part about him not being mgt. material, lol). It seems that in many cases, its the "Bean Counters" that make it to the top. Those with more of an accounting/financial lean vs product/operational/sales lean. They're good at counting beans, but don't know shit about planting/cultivating beans. Nor are they particularly interested in learning how to do so. I'm tempted to design a new bumper sticker: "Bean Counters: On Tap, Not On Top."
Double post, thread didn't appear after initial post.
First and foremost I evaluate my managers on their writing and editing skills!