Why There Are Too Many Mediocre Bosses — And What To Do About It

Leaders are much given to talking about accountability. Usually, they are referring to how their subordinates need to take more responsibility for ensuring that they perform the roles and tasks they are supposed to. But a renowned leadership expert suggests that the real problem may lie with the leaders themselves.

In his latest book, Accountable Leaders, Dr Vince Molinaro pulls few punches. He says that organizations are “filled with part-time leaders.” This is not to say that these executives are only working part-time. It is just that they are not spending enough of their time leading. Instead, they are carrying on doing the things that got them into management in the first place — typically excelling technically. Companies tend to assume that such performance translates into success as a leader. But the evidence suggests that it does not. “As a result,” writes Molinaro, “many companies have significant leadership accountability gaps. They have people in leadership roles who simply are not stepping up or leading in a way that their company expects.”

Another issue is mediocre leaders. Molinaro’s own research for an earlier book, The Leadership Contract Field Guide, shows that organizations believe that about 55% of their leaders are mediocre. Moreover, 80% of organizations do not know what to do about it.

Molinaro’s own solution starts with an analysis of what mediocre means. He has found a surprising degree of consensus about what makes a mediocre leader. The top five characteristics are:

1. Blame Others. Mediocre leaders never personally acknowledge their role or contribution to any mistake or failure.
2. Selfish and Self-Serving. Mediocre leaders acts out of self-interest and bring a sense of entitlement to their roles.
3. Uncivil and Mean. Being rude and disrespectful of others is a tell-tale sign of a lousy boss.
4. Inept and Incompetent. Many mediocre leaders are seen as unqualified for the roles they fill. They don’t have the right instincts for leadership, make bad decisions and leave trails of disaster behind them.
5. Lack Initiative. Mediocre leaders are lazy and are unwilling to work hard. They deflect responsibility or decline to step in when their teams need help.

His research also confirms a long-held fear of his, that mediocre leaders are everywhere — and having a detrimental effect on those they lead. It is not just those directly affected by, say, the bullying of the uncivil and mean or being forced to take the blame for errors who suffer. “When an organization keeps mediocre leaders around and does nothing to help them, it signals to everyone that the company will tolerate mediocrity, which is a dangerous thing.” Instead, they should be developing “accountable leaders.”

In another book, The Leadership Contract, Molinaro presented a set of five behaviours demonstrated by accountable leaders that he believes helps set their companies apart from others. These are:

1. Hold Others Accountable for High Standards of Performance. He cites Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos as an example of somebody who believes in the need to set high standards. They enable companies to build better products and services for their customers, they help attract and retain the best people and a culture of high standards helps to cultivate what Bezos refers to as “invisible work,” or the extra effort people put in when leaders are not around.
2. Tackle Tough Issues and make Difficult Decisions. Being a leader isn't easy. It requires hard work, which too many leaders avoid. This undermines their leadership and accountability.
3. Communicate the Strategy Across the Organization. Effectively communicating the company’s strategy to all the people is crucial. It helps the team understand how their work contributes to making the company successful, in turn making each task more meaningful and rewarding.
4. Express Optimism About the Company and Its Future. Leaders seen as unaccountable seem merely to go through the motions in their day-to-day work without personal investment in the project. Many appear disengaged or unenthusiastic, which obviously hurts their ability to be able to engage employees.
5. Display Clarity About External Trends in the Business Environment. All organizations have a lot going on internally that can command a lot of attention. But leaders need to also look outward to spot threats and opportunities.

As Molinaro makes clear in his introduction, the world abounds with examples of bad leadership. There are, he writes, “far too many stories of prominent leaders embroiled in scandal, corruption, sexual harassment, demonstrating unacceptable and even unethical behaviour.” In fact, they have become so commonplace that we barely notice them anymore and have been conditioned to accept them as the norm. But Molinaro insists this is wrong. He says we need to hold all leaders to a higher standard. And we should also apply that higher standard to ourselves.

Accountability is certainly a good place to start. And calling out mediocrity — especially where it is accompanied by not-so-mediocre rewards — is long overdue. But in the end it comes down to board members and investors insisting on the highest standards in all facets, so that individuals’ failings are no longer overlooked provided the managers concerned meet financial targets.