The greatest challenge even the most skilled bosses face is figuring out how best to leverage the assets they have available to them. The biggest weakness they have in this area appears to be in suffiently acknowledging and engaging the capabilities of their staff.
Consider this recent study, reported at Inc.com, which indicates that fully 73% of executives think they could do a better job than their bosses, and more than two-thirds would like a shot at proving it. Interestingly, though, barely one in ten actually rated their bosses’ performance as “poor” – nearly two out of three, in fact, felt their bosses were at standard or excellent. Moreover, the same percentage of executives indicated that they trust their bosses.
It would appear that there is a substantial segment of executives who both trust and respect their bosses, and who nevertheless think they could do a better job. An officer in the talent-management firm that conducted the study made this (self-serving, but nevertheless) insightful assessment of this apparent discrepency as “an indication that employees feel they aren’t being utilized to their full potential.” He went on:
The challenge for management these days is really in the care and feeding of your best talent.”
Indeed, that is the challenge. As ever larger numbers of senior executives retire or move out to form their own enterprises, firms need to be sure they are not neglecting the talent within, working hard to stand out, to be noticed, and to be acknowledged – not by greater visibility, necessarily, but by greater responsibility – the ultimate validation of one’s ability as a manager.
—
Thanks for stopping by, today. If you enjoyed your visit, please take a moment to subscribe, so you can visit again in the future from the convenience of your email client or RSS reader.
Technorati Tags: challenge, boss, Inc.com, executives, talent-management
Sphere: Related Content
No comments yet.