Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic on Why So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders

Turning back the clock to a now-classic episode 12 of the?Love in Action podcast, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic joined me pre-pandemic with a stimulating discussion that provoked a central question: Are women better leaders than men?

Chamorro-Premuzic?is an international authority on psychoanalysis, talent management, leadership development, and people analytics. His 2019 book sparks controversy as soon as you read the title:?Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (and how to fix it). If you have read it, you already know that it's really a book about leadership and competence, and not quite as divisive as the title suggests. It’s about how we mistake confidence for competence, and Tomas explains what that means and how it affects work.

8 Key Learning Points From?This Episode:

• Two of the traits that eventually lead to poor leadership performance are confidence and charisma. Often, there is no skill or ability to back them up, but because we reward these traits by assuming there must be, we end up putting the wrong people in leadership roles.
• How do you recognize when you’re working for a leader with psychopath or narcissist tendencies? Tomas reveals what they are.
• The very traits that propel more men into leadership roles are the same traits that get them fired. In other words, what it takes to get to a leadership role is nearly the opposite of what it takes to do it well and keep the role.

• Tomas proposes a true meritocracy where we pay more attention to skills rather than traits, and he explains what that looks like and why more women will naturally rise to the top. He also explains why we’ll have a different type of men rise with them.
• Some of the universal qualities (competencies) that make all leaders more effective include integrity, humility, and emotional intelligence.
• Development is super-important for leaders, but selecting good leaders to start with is key.
• Tomas reveals several of the tools he teaches to other companies, some of which have been around for decades, yet no one uses them.
• He points out an interesting trend: the people who most need coaching and development will be the least likely to accept it.

Listen now: Apple Podcasts?|?Spotify?|?Google Podcasts | Download

________________

About the Show

The Love in Action Podcast inspires leaders to reimagine the conditions necessary for creating human-centered and caring workplaces that result in high-performance. Episodes are published every Thursday and can be heard on your favorite podcast platform. If you like what you hear, be sure to leave us a review!

Recent Episodes:

• Hubert Joly, former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, author of?The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism
• Adam Bryant, Managing Director at Merryck & Co, former “Corner Office” columnist for the New York Times and author of The CEO Test.
• Pamela Fuller, thought leader on Inclusion & Bias at FranklinCovey and co-author of?The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias.

________________

About Marcel Schwantes

Marcel Schwantes?is a leadership expert, speaker, executive coach, author, podcast host, and syndicated columnist?with a global following. He develops emerging leaders through his signature virtual course, "From Boss to Leader." His work has been featured in Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, The New York Daily News, CNBC, Forbes, and others. He speaks to audiences about the human side of work, and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging outperform the competition.