Common sense (Gesunder Menschenverstand - GMV) urgently needed in business

Do bosses have a chip on their shoulder per se?

If you want to make a career as a manager, you have to be GMV-free. Bring a dose of narcissism and be a psychopath. Both are a career guarantee, not only with regard to current boss role models, but also according to serious studies. In the article "Crazy Managers" in Wirtschaftswoche, Canadian psychologist Robert Hare puts it in a nutshell: "If you take a look at the statistics, global companies (...) are run by a bunch of crazy people anyway. Canadian psychiatrist Robert Hare has shown that there are significantly more psychopaths on the boards of directors and supervisory boards of large companies than there are at the checkout counter of discount stores." Who comes to mind? Munich-based social psychologist and management researcher Dieter Frey adds in the same article: "In fact, megalomania is sometimes useful for managers so that they can develop a vision and have the confidence to realise it." Well then!

Why is GMV so rare in management?

According to Immanuel Kant, common sense has to do with "thinking for oneself". If self-thinking is used in management, a lot has already been gained. One or two bosses might ask whether technical manipulations or cum-cum-dividend tricks could be a "little bit" criminal under certain circumstances. Unfortunately, thinking for yourself is a career killer in everyday managerial life. Managers should think like everyone else in the company (law of the masses) or like their superiors (law of power). After all, you want to get ahead. This is exactly what many employees criticise about their bosses. They take a common-sense view and expect a strong personality as a manager. But what else? According to a study by management consultants KPMG, many managers are downright afraid of making decisions and dealing with conflicts. And that is rather unfavourable, because according to the same study, bosses spend up to 30 to 40% of their weekly working time dealing with conflicts and their consequences.

Weak bosses against their better judgement?

I often hear in coaching sessions that bosses promise the blue sky. Most of the time, however, nothing happens. It doesn't matter whether it's about increasing staff, faulty work equipment, malfunctioning software, unsuitable processes or problems with another department in the company. The bosses, on the other hand, complain that their people make impossible demands. In their opinion, these are also correct in terms of content, but are not acceptable to the boss's boss. "If I were to address the often justified wishes and demands of my people in a telephone conference, I would hardly make myself popular," was the revealing comment of a manager in a coaching session. Some bosses simply lack the "arse in their trousers" for good leadership. GMV.

Already completely wrong when choosing a boss?

Leadership misery starts at the beginning. Apart from the fact that future managers are not taught leadership skills in any academic or master craftsman training programme, bosses are often selected according to rather unsuitable criteria. "Most of them (the managers, the author) were promoted to management positions on the basis of their professional expertise (47 per cent) and experience (51 per cent)." The problem: a top salesperson is by no means a top sales manager. In addition to professional expertise, managers should also have leadership skills. GMV. But where do you get them? Wait a minute: there are plenty of seminars, workshops and coaching sessions. That's right - lots of them. The new managers are supposed to get all this organised in addition to their other tasks. The overload starts immediately. I've been a coach for 20 years. Unfortunately, leadership hasn't improved to this day. Maybe it's just me. In GMV terms, there is an unpleasant truth behind this for the further education sector: The effectiveness of training and coaching programmes is often terrible. So what to do? Three GMV tips from many years of experience:

• Finally integrate leadership into training and studies - it's out of our hands
• Give new bosses time to familiarise themselves with their new role, including further training and coaching - this is in the hands of the company
• Conceptualised executive training over 12 months: seminars and workshops with additional personal coaching - this is in the hands of the companies (by the way, I no longer accept any other assignments. GMV)

You can't lead, you can get people to let themselves be led

Years ago, Gallup used employee surveys to determine 12 criteria for good leadership from the employee's point of view. The same GMV principle applies in leadership as in sales. The bait must...

12 criteria of good leadership from the "fish's point of view":

• I know what is expected of me at work.
• I have the tools to do my job properly.
• I have the opportunity at work to do what I do best.
• I have received recognition or praise in the last seven days.
• My boss is interested in me as a person.
• There is someone who supports me in my development.
• My opinions count at work.
• My company's goals give me the feeling that my work is important.
• My colleagues want to produce high quality work.
• I have a very good friend within the company.
• In the last six months, someone has spoken to me about my progress.
• During the last year I have been able to learn new things and develop myself.