Leaders Who Think They Walk on Water

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Albert Einstein

It’s no secret that leaders have inflated views of their skills and competence–we’ve known this for a long time as it’s a consistent finding in all 360-degree feedback research ((Nowack, K. (1992). Self-assessment and rater-assessment as a dimension of management development. Human Resources Development Quarterly, 3, 141-155)).  What is simply amazing is the gap between self-perception and reality.

The prevalence of self-enhancement is not hotly debated but there is controversy on whether it is adaptive or maladaptive which has implications for understanding and interpreting multi-rater feedback.  If self-enhancement means seeing one’s self more positively than others, then the outcomes (performance, health, career and life success) are frequently more favorable but if it is defined as having higher self-ratings than others who provide feedback, then the outcomes are frequently less than favorable.

In general, leaders seem to perceive that they basically “walk on water” while others who have a pretty fair grasp of what leaders really do experience them more as “passing water.”  At least that’s what some recent surveys tend to suggest.

It has been estimated that 65%-75% of the employees in any given organization report that the worst aspect of their job is their immediate boss. In fact, estimates of the base rate for managerial incompetence in corporate life range from 30% to 75% with the average level of poor leadership hovering at about 50% ((Hogan, R. & Kaiser, R. (2005).  What we know about leadership. Review of General Psychology. 9 (2), 169-180)).

A recent 2007 global survey (Executive Quiz March 2007) of executives and leaders by Korn/Ferry involving respondents from over 70 countries revealed that only 27% thought their boss was peforming the job better than they could! In this survey, 11% rated the performance of their current boss as “poor”, 14% rated it as “below average” and 23% rated it as “average” (42% did perceive their manager as either performing “above average” or “excellent”).

In another recent 2006 national survey of of 1,854 U.S. by Rasmussen reports, 92% of leaders surveyed rated themselves to be “excellent” or “good” as a manager.  Self confidence is fine you say but only 67% of direct reports agreed and at least 10% rated their bosses as actually performing poorly. 

In practice mental health professionals tend to diagnose thoughts and beliefs as “delusional” when they appear unusual, create strong psychological distress, or become an obsession–even when there is compelling evidence to the contrary. This “no clue” gene can be found in both male and female leaders but does seem to be more pronounced as leaders move up the corporate hierachy. One way of defining an aspect of “emotional intelligence” is the accurate awareness and insight of one’s own skills, strengths and impact on others.

Over the years of giving 360-feedback reports to executives, I can’t tell you how many “over-estimators” (those who self-ratings were significantly elevated relative to others) tend to shoot the messenger, critque the assessment itself or explain away the more critical results by suggesting that the raters are the problem!  Indeed, even at my best as an executive coach I have always seen my role as being a very “imperfect mirror” for the leader to increase their self-awareness.  In general, these “over-estimators” seem to be the highest risk for some derailment at some time during their leadership careers.

I bet you didn’t know that in another recent poll that 80% of all drivers in the United States rate their driving skills as above average?  So, please let me know when you are out on the road will you?…..Be well….

 
[tags]self-ratings, distortion, self-awareness, multi-rater feedback, 360 feedback, self-insight, emotional intelligence,  kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack, Self-enhancement, Envisia Learning. leadership development, multi-rater feedback, self-ratings, emotional intelligence[/tags]

Ken Nowack

Kenneth Nowack, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist (PSY13758) and President & Chief Research Officer/Co-Founder of Envisia Learning, is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. Ken also serves as the Associate Editor of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. His recent book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Don’t Get It is available for free for a limited time by signing up for free blog updates (Learn more at our website)