Five Reasons Why Managers Fail
(Wall Street Journal Article)

Failure!  It's every manager's terror.  Whatever the reason for the career fall, it's considered shameful and scarring.  So much so that managers who fail on the job often spend more time hiding the fact than examining WHY it happened.  Yet, nearly every manager trips as he or she moves along in life.  A study of almost 200 executives found that virtually all had suffered "hardship experiences" . . . from missed promotions or opportunities to firings and business failures.

1. Inability to Get Along
Poor interpersonal skills (relationships & communication skills) represent the single biggest reason for failure - and the most crucial flaw to recognize and remedy.  Managers typically can't inspire and win the loyalty of underlings because they aren't good listeners, don't give and take criticism well, and view conflict as something bad instead of something inevitable that has to be handled.

2.  Failure to Adapt
The inability to adapt to change is the fatal flaw of the manager who clings to a once-successful management style long after it stops producing results (the '80 & '90's).  It's also an increasingly prevalent cause of failure for managers in scores of corporations that have restructured or been acquired.  (This century is a time to adapt - to return to proven & successful values!)

3.  The "Me Only" Syndrome
Every manager wants to be recognized and rewarded for his or her efforts.  But some are too preoccupied with themselves.  These are the managers whose overriding concerns are how much credit they're getting, how much money they're making and how fast they're moving up the corporate ladder.  Managers have to be authentic team players in today's leaner environment.

4.  Fear of Action
Halfhearted managers may be limited by their inability to put themselves on the line.  They may be diligent workers with great new ideas but without the passion or conviction to sell them to their superiors or workers.  Underlying this lack of commitment is fear of failure.  Such managers try to prevent a fall by avoiding action - but in doing so actually hasten their own demise.

5.  Unable to Rebound
Managers who succeed early in their careers but then are unable to weather a setback aren't all that unlike those who reach the top.  Both groups are incredibly bright and ambitious and make many sacrifices.  But those who don't rebound tend to react to failure by becoming defensive, trying to conceal it or blaming others.  In contrast, the successful managers admit where they've erred and try to correct it.