Why do we celebrate incompetent leaders? | Martin Gutmann | TEDxBerlin 

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You can always do a controlled failure and report it as a major win.

100%

💯 true.

haha.. similar to my experience.. We did the job so good that there have been no major issue, but we have been requesting for additional member due to overload. Then somehow other branch with half of our workload and troublesome performance would get the approval to hire new member. 😅

I remember one of the prominent scientists in government saying this about the obviously very expensive measures during the pandemic: "there is no glory in prevention (of harm)". He probably wasnt the first to say it, but it was very fitting to the ongoing discussion.

Slightly unrelated, but it's the same reason that most reviews for businesses and products are negative. If something worked, you have no reason to take note of it. If you had a negative experience, you want to tell everyone. Problems are louder.

old tale my mom used to tell me: An emperor's son was sick, so he called the best doctor in the kingdom. While the doctor was treating the prince, he said that although he was indeed very well known, his brother was a better doctor. The emperor asked why he never heard of the brother. The doctor said: Because he taught people how to avoid getting sick, so nobody ever gave him credit for anything.

So profound!!!

Good point of view

A leader makes things happen by convincing people to do things. Is it the leader's fault that their group is incompetent? I think that's dubious at best. The best leaders are also the best people for the job, but if they can't lead, they end up doing the whole job alone. It is better that the most incompetent person lead the best people to work together, if (s)he is good at leading.

Nice one, tq 👌🏽 🙏🏽

Seriously!

And a smart person realizes that people who are not experts in your field do not understand the problem, the solution, or the prevention, and thus its your job to make them aware of this and sell yourself. You can be 10/10 at your job but if you're 3/10 at selling yourself you're gonna run into issues.

to summarize as better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent

@@kampanartsaardarewut422 eloquently said. You are clearly someone of great wit and sagacity. 😎

Is that survival tactics Like avoid, just avoid the problems. 😮

@@nikhilPUD01 No it means you take steps that ensure the problem doesn't happen in the first place.

That was depressingly logical.

^^ Seth is what sheep would look like - followers in this society are overpopulated 😂

@@jaslavie ​you know, in my experiences, only people who don't live well feel the need to call others sheep so they can justify themselves not making it in a strict social hierarchy (income, degree, wealth). That's almost invariably true. But hope that's not you. Cheers

ive been under leaders who paints everything as a crisis or always wants things urgently. They burn people out in 1 to 2 years, and a few months for some.

The challenge is how long can you do that - even if you are promoted, at some point that success is likely to feel hollow - I guess unless you go full delusional that you are what everyone tells you :)

This is the basis for organizational behaviour. Making people's lives easier and better makes them work better and provide higher quality product.

I wish my last job understood this

Reduce twists steps and turns as they say in McDonald's land

Gotta be more specific here, because effort is pretty meaningless without results, and results are still results no matter the effort.

​@@obliviouz Well, that's kind of the issue: the mentality that effort, without results (or, at least, without *recognizable* results), is counted as "meaningless". In other words, people treat it no different than not trying at all. This is why we often see unsuccessful people struggling with disability, mental health issues, homelessness, unemployment, etc. given the ever so unhelpful advice, "well, if you just _try,_ then maybe you'd succeed." It assumes their situation arises from them *not* trying. There are an awful lot of people who try very, very hard, but _still_ don't succeed. There are people who must spend all their effort on a daily basis merely to tread water and keep themselves from going under. They have nothing to spare to "try harder". But the attitude of "if you're not succeeding, you might as well not bother" plagues modern society and paralyzes many people. And then, "results" doesn't distinguish useful results from just spinning wheels. How many workplaces and employers are obsessed with employees "looking busy", even if not doing anything productive? "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean." That's a common trite, vacuous saying in workplaces. The problem is that too many people, particularly those in positions of authority and supervision, fail to comprehend that _downtime_ and _standby positions_ can *also* contribute to productivity. Well-rested workers are, plain and simple, more productive than overworked ones. Thus, "conserving effort" and "strategic application of effort" can yield greater results than reckless application of effort. Having extra workers whose *job* it is to be _available_ to step in when needed and *not* occupied with busy work to fill their otherwise empty time, is more productive than shoving frivolous tasks onto them.

@@omargoodman2999 Yeah I'm sorry but effort that doesn't lead to results IS absolutely useless. You ever try to feed a family on "effort"? I don't assume that lack of results come from not trying: I *plain do not care* because it doesn't matter how hard you try if you don't achieve results. To use your example, "downtime and standby also contribute to productivity" - you're exactly right: it's the fact that they contribute *TO PRODUCTIVITY* (end results) that makes them valuable. Results are results. Long-term, and not immediately obvious results are still results, not merely effort.

great - yes, effort matters, not only results..

@@NithinMWarrier Ever try to feed your family on "effort" alone? "Effort matters" is a great motto for losers who can't achieve anything.

At least the promotion got her out of your way.

Indeed. I used to work in industrial robotics and oversaw several cells, providing preventive and diagnostic maintenance for several robotics systems. Sounds technical, but it wasn't that bad, really. Anyway, I used to regularly get in trouble because it never appeared that I was working, and everyone thought I was slacking off. The reality was that I took my preventive measures seriously and didn't cut corners with any on-the-spot maintenance. I also had a great partner who always backed me up. As a result, things rarely broke down, and when they did, we were often able to implement an easier fix than if we let things degrade too far. When I explained these things to my supervisor, his answer was, "Yeah, but you have to think about appearances..." Give me a break.

​@@thebestbelmont4273 God do i despise the word 'optics'.

@@thebestbelmont4273 thinking about appearances and not the competition is a recipe for failure.

@@DigSamurai Couldn't agree more

@@thebestbelmont4273 Management mantra: Visibility. If upper management don’t know you then you are slacking.

Shows you the power of the Anglo Anerican media circus where they dominate so much of the global headlines. Marketing, Brands and advertising rules and wrongly drives so much of global trade.

The main story Shackleton is famous for is the one where he left the survivors on Elephant Island promising to rescue them, and did, returning 137 days later.

@@TheLRider How much larger is the population of "Anglo" countries?

@@tuckerbugeater?

​@@tuckerbugeaterAnglo American population in comparison to world's population? Relatively small. American culture, big. There are a few countries, which have still an own film industry of relevance. India, France, China, Russia are the most important one.

Me!! That’s me! But sadly as I’ve discovered, the modern work place paradigm requires self-celebration and narcissistic marketing! Sadly when you are a highly able / successful leader with humility, you are taken advantage of and people take credit for your achievements. We live in an era of celebrity and not just that, celebrating stupidity. Look at Trump, look at the Cardassians, look at glitzy pop cultures fascination with glamour over musical talent etc etc. But I still can’t be anything but who I am, so people like me need to find a way to survive this environment without losing their integrity!

@@thelesserzdoctor2345 Kudos for living your values! The good thing is those external metrics for success aren't the only thing that matters in life. People who say nice (or honest in this case) people finish last don't know where the finish line is😋

@@thelesserzdoctor2345 I can relate to your situation. The best thing to do over here is stop caring about "noise" altogether. Appreciation is noise in today's age, as it is mostly fake. People appreciate others thinking they'll do the same when it's their time, that's all there is to it. I have learnt to compete with myself and have learnt to be recognized by God and the universe. Maybe the last bit isn't too appealing but trust me, when the majority has a "herd mentality", you can only look up to God for guidance, appreciation, competition and inspiration.

Alexander the Great is known, the people who died for his idea to conquer the persian empire are not. So you gad to be at least in the rank of a general to get a piece of the pie after Alexander's early death

@@TorianTammas Everyone knows Alexander today, but Alexander knew which of his generals were worth knowing and respecting. The point being - people choose whether they want to be known for their achievements today, or whether they would like to be discussed in the future. In Alexander's case, the two coincided. Today, you will be remembered anyway because your videos will not be deleted unless someone reports on them.

Last Christmas we celebrated both a step-change reduction in lead time to market AND the wonderful effort spent firefighting quality issues at a lead customer. The presentation was so smooth I have no idea how many people understood both were the result of squeezing QA to the point they couldn't do their job anymore.

Good luck. Be cautious how you report it back. When ppl ask for things like that, they often want to hear the things that are re assuring them they are doing the right thing. Try and present the data without personal impressions on what is going on. 48 Laws of Power is great book for office politics

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@@inesvetinparadise9715 Thank you.

People tend to shoot the messenger, especially when he brings bad news they don't want to hear. Management has often sand in the ears; this happens when you put your head in the sand.

Best of luck, please let us know how it goes.

Not necessarily. A bias for action, or at least the abiity to take action in the face of a hard challenge is indeed a skill. The curse of management is having to take decisions based on incomplete information. That needs a certain amount of trust in one's ability to work things out along the way. Of course, the higher you climb, the more you have control over the tools which help you overcome such problematic situation, over the people and processes that are in place to help you. I have seen a number of people, among them a few so-called "high-potentials", climb the career ladder around me, and rarely undeserved. They all had one thing in common: they would not shy away from taking on tough challenges. In the end, what is important is that an organization evaluates its leadership candidates honestly, and sorts out those who fail to deliver on their confident claims. That's how you get strong leaders, and you need those once an organization reaches a certain size.

Thank you for sharing. 🙏

Yes! Just about all of them.

true, they have to be like this, to be promoted. in my opinion it is a cultural fallecy of thinking.

Touché!

🫡

That’s cute. Care to cite your source, because you obviously didn’t write that. It’s either either stolen from someone else or generated with AI

@@EchoMountain47 You generate the same or better than this with AI and post. Best output is important.

@@kishoresoma6534 if you’re going to comment, use your own brain and tell people what you think. Anyone can ask ChatGPT to write a comment for them. Meaningless

May I ask where you were educated?

Yes! I believe here in Ukraine a few people would know about Shackleton, but we hear about Amundsen a lot throughout our school program.

Likewise. Knew of Amundsen since childhood (educated in the Soviet Union) and never hears of Shackleton. Must be the Anglo-Saxons' arrogance - celebrating only their own and overlooking heroes from other countries. ))

Same in slovakia

As a potential heart surgery patient I agree

Need to, but will never listen because they need to act like they know it all.

It's why moneyball works. Takes the drama out and let's ability shine

Oddly, I’m not seen any Amundsen characteristics in either presumptive candidate.

People like Shakleton are also necessary. Ones who are beyond algorithms, who get more meaning out of experiences than the set "end goal". The aim was to reach some obscure part of a polar ice cap, or maybe chart a route but he ended up having an adventure. Not saying that that is better than someone who actually completed doing what he planned to do, but the adventure sounds more fun. The issue is people tend to follow blindly instead of actually thinking. If more people do something, then it gravitates more and more - that is the "common consensus". Boring is boring, but it works impeccably. Adventure is exciting but it fails to get to the point. Is there a middle ground? The meticulous planning, understanding currents etc - sounds like algorithms in action. The latter sounds like a child waiting for a brain freeze. Balance is key, but because of impatience, we hardly get to see that in the real world.

I think thats Amundsen.

Also just realized that his leadership failed in the recruitment also. Who do you think responded to this ad? Was it the experienced and highly competent? No, because they recognized from the ad that he was going to be a poor leader. The ones who responded were probably those without enough experience or insight or good judgment to recognize the early signs of a probable disaster in the making. So Shackleton likely set up the poor end result right from the beginning …. (if he truly posted this ad. apparently it is historically uncertain.)

ngl that looks unprofessional lol i dont think an experienced seaman will respond to that ad

You won't find such organization. Everywhere you go, you'll find that extroverts and incompetent by "self-confident" clowns are celebrated

So true!

There is one problem, though: big corporations often exceed the size where a quiet, efficient leader is sufficient. Exactly because it often involves characters with more ego than brains. The quiet, efficient type may be able to lead an expedition to the south pole, but he might not be able to make himself heard in an organization that employs tens of thousands of people around the globe, and has departments that fight among each other for budgets and prestigious tasks.

Too many commenters miss this, and I was hoping for tips in the video

If taken wrongly spending time watching non educational content.

Why? I ask because I ... don't know for sure

@@rolandojrbriones3079 or the fact that it can hide your secret exchanges, and possibly make your life implode due to your inability to realise that the grass is not always greener as your secret partner promises, while they are hidden in their basement promising things they can't deliver. This is not my first time but it is the most annoying time as not only did the little basement dweller promise a better life, also while told how old my step daughter was, he claimed her age was older than she was ( paedophilia )

@@lunarious87 employers can judge you on your personal views before your ability to do the job you applied for, to then make sure that they only employ people who will only do the things they ask and have no views as a person

@@cdjtft cool

And now we look at theDonald and see a pattern. 95% noise, 5% achievemants (I would not say he did not achieve anything)

interesting, I'll check that book again!

If you are running a system that doesn't go wrong then every month is a new achievement. 6 months with no escalation, 7 months with no escalation, 8 months with no escalation. The incompetent manager has "in month 6 proactively reduced the spend on tooling, in month 7 handled the customer escalation due to schedule slip, in month 8 reorganised team to handle increased attrition rate..."