As the Working It title says: Disruption Rules. However, would you like to work for a disruptive boss, which seems to be management style adopted by many leaders and managers. Let’s look at this a little closely.
“Casting oneself as a disruptive leader is in vogue these days, suggesting a bold, take-no-prisoners management style that ignites new trends and crushes competitors” says the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Work now emphasizes execution, get the job done. So, we have a new crop of disruptive managers, who want to get ahead quickly. And, this management style is adopted by wannabe VUCAN leaders. And, thirty-five percent of today’s college grads (if they can get a job) want to work for disruptive managers.
Quick story: I’ve worked on and led ‘death march’ projects and know this. We see three types of managers: 1. Lead disruptive (risk taking); 2. Follow (risk-sensitive); or 3. Get out of the way (risk-averse). Like a skewed bell curve, most managers are naturally #2 and #3 managers. A few or very few are natural #1’s. If they are, they naturally go to a startup, sales, head a special project, or similar venture.
So, we have a lot of #2 and #3 managers, who ‘fake it till they make it’. Most don’t make it. For example, I’ve found that senior executives don’t understand and can’t articulate how to respond to pandemic disruptions and business paradigm shifts. They know competitive rules and business models are different, but they can’t articulate the changes needed to execute effectively in COVID time. They simply don’t know RBPS and don’t do RBDM.
Work Lesson Earned: If the favored management model today is disruptive, how do you survive and prosper under such a boss? WSJ suggests:
- Cultivate an ability to pivot quickly.
- Ask your VUCAN boss for help prioritizing projects to avoid overload.
- Don’t take your boss’s impulsive or overbearing behavior personally.
- Use your skills to complement the boss’s strengths.
- Learn from the disrupter’s positive traits, such as persistence.
- Know your own hot buttons to avoid reacting defensively.
Ask colleagues for advice before offering your VUCAN boss feedback.[i]
[i] ‘How to Handle the Chaos of a ‘Tornado Boss’?, Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2019.