The True Cost of Bad Leadership

by Brenda J. Christie

In an article entitled, "Why Good Managers Are So Rare," the Harvard Business Review wrote, what I would consider, a rather stinging assessment of the cost to business of hiring a manager without the requisite talents.  It estimates the cost to be in the billions of dollars and a trend which is experienced on a global scale.  I like the fact that the short-coming is assessed in billions of dollars as talk of money, especially of this magnitude, tends to catch people's attention.

The article describes the 5 talents inherent in good managers, and goes further to say these talents are innate, i.e., that education and coaching cannot necessarily bridge the gap.  However, it does say that 1 in 10 people possess these talents and that they are usually close by.

A fascinating article, I find its only shortcoming is that it does not call upon shareholders to take a more active role in demanding that companies maximize their ROI by ensuring leadership possesses these talents.

Click here to read the full HBR article.

Best,
Brenda J. Christie