By Dan Rockwell Article
“By definition most of us are average. Even though:
- 68% of the faculty at the University of Nebraska rate themselves in the top 25% of teaching ability.
- 90% students see themselves as more intelligent than the average student.
- 93% of U.S. drivers put themselves in the top 50% of driving ability.
- 92% of teachers say they are less biased than average. That one is uniquely hilarious.
- 96% of leaders today believe they have above average people skills. Stanford University School of Business.
On average, most of us think we are above average. Leaders, like everyone else, suffer from illusory superiority. …
Gary Hamel, author of “What Matters Now,” told me, “We need to create organizations where average leaders can enjoy extraordinary success. The biggest constraints we face are management models not business models or strategies. We need our organizations to become more human.” (Gary is ranked #1 most influential business thinker by the Wall Street Journal.)
How management hinders leaders:
- Management establishes limiting controls. People don’t enjoy being controlled, especially leaders.
- Management centralizes authority. Leaders give authority while maintaining responsibility.
- Management creates hierarchies with stagnating approvals. “Ask yourself how many levels must people fight through in order to get something done?” Hamel. …
Final note:
I believe “average” people possess pockets of genius that represent our greatest potential.”
