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Scott Berkun’s Top 10 Reasons Managers Become Great or Not

Over the past few month’simage Scott Berkun has written several interesting posts about leadership for his always blog on “management and creative thinking.”

First, here’s his list of 10 Reasons Why Managers Become Assholes:

  1. A boss they admired was an asshole.
  2. They are insecure in their role.
  3. They prefer intimidation to leadership.
  4. Their life sucks.
  5. They lose their way.
  6. Promotion chasing.
  7. Their management chain is toxic.
  8. The Peter Principle.
  9. They’re not assholes, they’re just insensitive or oblivious.
  10. Madly in love with themselves.
  11. (Bonus!) They always were assholes.

Next here’s his list of 10 Reasons Managers Become Great.

  1. Enjoy helping people grow
  2. Love creating positive environments.
  3. Want to correct mistakes inflicted on them.
  4. Care deeply about the success and well being of their team.
  5. Succession mentality
  6. Long term sense of reward.
  7. Practice of the golden rule.
  8. Self aware, including weaknesses.
  9. Sets tone of healthy debate and criticism.
  10. Willing to fight, but picks their battles.
  11. (Bonus!) Instinctively corrects bad behavior within their team.

Please visit his blog and read the entire Great and Not posts and all of their comments, there’s a lot of good stuff there.

Then make sure you get yourself on the Great list if you’re not already.

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Related posts:

  1. Book Review: Just Ask Leadership – Why Great Managers Always Ask The Right Questions by Gary B. Cohen
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  4. Weekly Leader Podcast Episode 35 – Senator Scott Brown: Leading or following change?
  5. The Secrets of America’s Great Presidents

Posted in General Leadership, Toolbox.

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Author: Peter A. Mello, Founder/Editor (261 Articles)

Founder of Weekly Leader and Sea-Fever Consulting, LLC, a leadership development and strategic communications consultancy. Previously, CEO of an international nonprofit organization and COO of a national insurance/risk management services firm. Peter has been leading people and managing organizations for over 30 years, writes a leadership column for MarineNews magazine and blogs about maritime culture at Sea-Fever. Follow him on Twitter.

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