People Persons

A few of us consultants were sitting around having coffee and discussing leadership and leaders that we known and worked with.  We discussed great leaders that we have known.  The great leaders were few and far between, they are gems indeed when you can find them.    After discussing great leadership, we then explored… oh how should we put it?   Ah yes… counterexamples.  It is sometimes more fun to talk about leaders who are awful.  These leadership train wrecks are full of colorful contradictions and amazing stories.  It is horrible being under their yoke but they make from great stories years later.

One of the topics that came up was folks that keep saying, almost insisting, “I am a people person.”  We all know these kinds of people.  Just reading the quote probably brought someone to mind.  They are always saying “I am a people person.”  They say it over and over again.  “I am a people person.”   They take great pride in repeating this sentence to whoever is within earshot.  Furthermore, they say it all the time:  ad nauseum.  Guess what?  We can axiomatically assert that these kinds of leaders are anything but people persons.  One of our gang even recalled an HR head who was always saying “I am a people person.”  That HR VP was the least people oriented person he ever met.  People in the company used to call him the Anit-Personnel VP.   A leader that really is a “people oriented” never have to tell people that they are.  Their actions speak for themselves.

Another example of this is the class of leader that always claims that the love engaging in dialogue and discussion with his direct reports.  “I love to engage my people.  We have great discussions and agree on what to do.  I believe in consensus management.”  OK, there are some leaders that really do this.  As in the above example, people that really engage their teams in dialogue and consensus decision making never have to remind everyone and anyone they meet that are this kind of leader.  Their actions and track record clearly show the kind of leader that they are. 

There was an example of a functional head who rarely left his office or had meetings.  This fellow managed by email and directive.  He always claimed to be both a “people person” and prided himself how engaged his team in dialogue.  Here is how he did the latter.  He would send a missive every week or so to his minions stating a problem or opportunity, his outline for how to deal with the problem or opportunity, and asking for everyone to respond with their input.  When this person first took over the function, the discussions of his first few emails were indeed quite engaging.  There was a high level of participation.  People provided very good and thoughtful responses.   It soon became clear that the new boss would defend his own suggested course of action and eventually implement that be edict.  In every step of the way he would thank everyone for the open and frank dialogue.  Upon implementing his course of action, he had the audacity, or maybe the delusion, to claim what was being implemented was a consensus decision.  After a couple go rounds, only apple polishers and the perpetually naïve participated in this sham.

Do you know leaders like this?  If you believe you are a “people person” and constantly are telling people that you are, might we suggest a 360 leadership style assessment.  It could be a real eye opening experience.