20 Ways to Screw Up Your Management Career. Last Updated Dec 11, 2009 6:17 PM EST If you're a regular on The Corner Office, you know I've seen managers, executives, and CEOs do a lot of dumb things over the years.
And all-too-often, I've been one of them. Sure, the stories are entertaining and enlightening, but more important is knowing and steering clear of the top failure modes and self-destructive behavior that can destroy or at least stunt an otherwise promising career. Don't think for a minute that you're not in complete control of how far you go and how successful you are. I've seen dozens and dozens of brilliant, competent, and driven managers shoot themselves in the foot, but I've almost never seen one lose their way due to external factors. So, since you're the one who will likely destroy your career, here's a guide to help you recognize when you're beginning to step off the path of enlightenment. Every manager, executive, and CEO should be aware of these: 20 Ways to Screw Up Your Management Career: Stop asking questions.
Aspiring Managers: Learn to Behave Like Adults. Last Updated Sep 15, 2009 10:31 PM EDT It's relatively easy to be a successful child. All you've got to do is learn how to be cute, get attention, and cry when you're hurt or hungry. Learning how to be a teenager is much harder; I'm not sure anybody's good at it. I certainly wasn't. As for becoming an adult, I've been working on that for decades and making very, very slow progress. Everything gets harder as you get older, and becoming a good manager is no exception. In fact, becoming a good manager is harder than all of those other phases combined.
So, for all you relatively new, aspiring managers, and for those supposedly seasoned veterans who are honest enough with themselves to admit that they're still trying to figure it out, here are three relatively critical but not necessarily intuitive tips I've learned by trial and lots of error along the way. Try to act like a mature adult. Leadership Lesson: Never Make It About You. Last Updated Dec 1, 2009 4:37 PM EST As a consultant, I get to work with lots of brilliant, successful people.
And you know what their downfall typically is? Their own success. It's an all-too-familiar story: entrepreneur starts a company, makes a brilliant call or two, makes a bundle, and then suddenly, miraculously, from then on he can do no wrong. But that's not how it works. In fact, egos are so big in management circles that sometimes it's hard to tell where one person's drama ends and another person's drama begins. And somewhere between the time you storm off to deal with the mess, mumbling angrily about your disrupted morning, and the time you finally calm down after drinking that extra glass of wine with dinner, you realize that the disruption was real and you were acting out because, for whatever reason, you didn't want to deal with it.
Maybe that particular example doesn't exactly resonate with you, but I bet I can come up with one or two that does. . © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc.. Even Leaders Get the Blues. Last Updated Dec 15, 2009 5:49 PM EST We all fall for the "grass is greener" thing.
Employees wish for their boss's power and authority, managers are jealous of executive pay and perks, and workers dream of starting their own business. The only "grass is greener" scenario you never hear about happens more frequently than most would imagine. That's when leaders have days I can only describe as demoralizing and depressing. Look, don't get me wrong. I recently happened upon a post that brought back some memories I'd just as soon forget.
Consider These Less Than Joyous Leadership Occasions:One of your top players and someone that you've invested a great deal of time mentoring announces that she is resigning. Having lived through every one of these scenarios, not to mention quite a few others, I can attest to how draining and depressing those days can be. Art offers 7 suggestions for those days when you'd just as soon throw in the towel: © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc..