The Downward Spiral:
Don't Set Yourself up for Failure
with Your Boss (or Your Client!)
Presented by:
Rob Orr, SPHR
HR Consultant
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“We’re running as an
economy at 30% efficiency”
Curt Coffman
Employee Engagement Global Practice Leader,
The Gallup Organization
HRMagazine, February 2004
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When people need help
getting a job done, they will
choose a ‘lovable fool’ over
a ‘competent jerk’.
Tiziana Casciaro & Miguel Sousa Lobo
Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools, and the Formation of Social Networks
Harvard Business Review, June 2005
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The environment has changed
1. Technical skills not as critical for executives
2. Actuarial integrity less valued
– Focus on profitability
– Capitalism  demutualization, non-paternalistic
Source: Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA Deloitte Consulting, LLP - used with permission
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Session Objectives
By the end of the session, you will be
able to:
• Identify the specific problems
Actuaries face
• Identify cues to watch out for
• Recognize how Actuaries might
contribute to the problem
• Identify steps to take to turn the
situation around
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Agenda
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•
•
•
•
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Review purpose and desired outcomes
Difficult Bosses – Difficult Clients
The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome
How Individuals Contribute
Taking Responsibility
Summary
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Your Difficult Boss / Difficult Client
Use the worksheet to describe
a difficult boss (or client) that
you have known.
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The Difficult Boss / Difficult Client
1. Negative, mean spirited
2. Autocratic
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
6. ______________________________
7. ______________________________
8. ______________________________
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The Set-Up-To Fail Syndrome
• Widespread
• Insidious & Pernicious
• Based on “Common Wisdom”
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Common Wisdom
Three Groups
• Stronger Performers
• Weaker Performers
• Deadwood
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Different Strokes for
Different Folks…
Bosses consciously treat stronger and
weaker performers differently
– Stronger performers get autonomy
– Weaker performers get help
– Deadwood gets ignored (or an
invitation to leave)
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The Downward Spiral
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General Session: Actuarial CommunicationIs Anyone Listening? If They Are, What Do They Hear?
• Communication (how to deliver the
tough messages)
• Opinion changes (are they effective enough?)
• Actuaries' images and roles in organizations
• Peer reviews
• Actuarial standards
• Professionalism
• Backbone
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Labels, Biases, & Misperceptions
Having formed an opinion, our minds draw on
all possible evidence to support it. When
confronted with evidence that contradicts our
viewpoint, we overlook it or denigrate it, or
find some other way of writing it off. That
way we can cling to our original opinion as
though it were a universal truth.
Francis Bacon, 1620
(updated language by
Manzoni & Barsoux.)
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How does this start?
Loss of Confidence
in Subordinates
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Triggers of Lost Confidence
What would you say?
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Triggers of Lost Confidence
• Disloyalty
• Insensitivity to signals
• Complaining
• Know-it-all
• Negative attitude
• Disrespect for Boss’s
time
• Low engagement
• Blatantly political
or energy
• Extrinsic motivation
• Low-self• Trying too hard
confidence
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Perceiving Performance
What about objective
performance measures ?
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Perceiving Performance
Goal Commitment and Sales Performance
Standardized Sales Performance
1
0.8
0.6
0.7 In-Group
Stronger Perf.
0.4
0.2
0
-0.19
-0.2
- 0.26
Out -Group
Weaker Perf. -
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-0.83
-1
Low
High
Goal Commitment
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Source: Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA, Deloitte Consulting, LLP- used with permission
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Actuaries have lost industry dominance
• Fewer actuaries in C-Level positions
• Highly-technical actuaries not fast-tracked
– Reserved for those presentable to C-suite
• Fewer automatic promotions
upon ASA, FSA
• Narrower roles, fewer opportunities
Source: Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA, Deloitte Consulting, LLP- used with permission
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In-Groups and Out-Groups
• 80-90% of managers have sharply
differentiated relationships with
subordinates.
• In-Group members have close
partnerships as “trusted assistants.”
• Out-Group members have low-quality
relationships as “hired-hands.”
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Performance Perceptions
• No correlation between objective
performance & relationship quality:
1993 – Duarte, Goodson, & Klich
• Very high correlation between “liking” and
in-group status:
1990 – Wayne & Ferris
• Boss expectation in 1st week a better
predictor of “in-group status” than actual
performance at end of 2nd week
1993 – Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell
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The Self-Reinforcing Dynamic
Boss’s behavior toward
“weaker” performers
Subordinate
progressively
disconnects
Boss is less able
to make useful
suggestions
Boss is increasingly
impatient  pushy or
intense during contacts
Boss is not
well informed
Boss‘s anxiety
increases
Problem
recognition is
delayed
More problems
arise
Subordinate
looks for excuses
Boss loses
faith in
Subordinate's
excuses
Subordinate
spends time on
excuses (rather
than problem
solving)
Subordinate
performs less
well overall
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Reality
“Good people can quickly end up
with bad labels. That needn’t be a
problem. The boss’s inaccurate
label becomes a problem because
it is so hard to change.”
Jean-François Manzoni & Jean-Louis Barsoux
The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome
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Are You in the Out-Group?
Let’s take a look!
Refer to the answers on
Your Difficult Boss worksheet
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Your Difficult Boss
In small groups, share:
– the situations you described on page 5
– the factors that contributed to the situation
Agree on the common factors
( Write on page 20.)
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“What is there in your approach
or way of managing the situation
that might be contributing to the
problem or getting in the way of
its resolution?”
Peter Block
Flawless Consulting, Second
Edition
2000, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer
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Cues for Subordinates
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attribution of negative personal characteristics
Tendency to reduce contact with Boss
Diminished self-confidence
Hyper vigilance of Boss behavior
Takes feedback with “a grain of salt”
Tendency to bring up the past
Reputation as “the person most likely to
disagree with the boss”
• Tendency to engage in covert lobbying
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The Difficult Boss
1. Negative, mean spirited
9. Control freak; micro
manager; evaluative
3. Stickler for details, intolerant, 10. Uncommunicative; aloof;
unsupportive
impossible to please
4. Intimidating, treats people as 11. Weak, prone to favoritism;
low performance standards
resources
12. Impatient; temperamental;
5. Unrealistic
unpredictable
6. Stubborn; impossible to
13. Ignorant bureaucrat;
influence
clueless; defensive
7. Manipulative
14. Stifling my development
8. Meddlesome; untrusting
2. Autocratic
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The “Great Boss”
1. Development-oriented
2. Intuitive; decisive
3. Has high expectations and
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.Thoughtful, busy
11.Allows self-discovery
12.Passionate; incisive;
aspirations
mercurial; (at worst)
Driven
impulsive
Demanding; has high
13.Realistic; better judge;
aspirations
aware of interdependencies;
Single-minded; focused
victim of a poorly sold
Politically astute
change
Helpful; caring
14.Considerate; letting me
Encouraging; coaching;
informed; close to the pulse
recover
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The Observed Behaviors
1. Giving critical feedback
9. Asking specific questions
2. Making a unilateral
10. Delaying response to
decision
3. Instructing work to be
redone
4. Imposing discipline
5. Setting stretch targets
6. Sticking with a doubtful
course of action
7. Sending mixed signals
8. Giving unsolicited advice
proposal/ request
11. Not condemning a big
mistake
12. Losing temper in public
13. Resisting a proposed
change
14. Giving a routine
assignment
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Perception is Reality
Action
Intent
Boss sees
Boss infers
Discounting
feedback
Effectiveness
Ignored
feedback
Anti-learning, lacks
potential & respect
Bringing up
the past
Avoid
repetition
Water under the Lacks judgment &
bridge
maturity
Holding
ground with
Boss
To be heard
Challenging,
foolish
resistance
Lacks judgment,
self-control &
discipline
Covert
lobbying
To make
things better
Personal
betrayal
Lacks loyalty and
integrity
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Cues for Subordinates
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attribution of negative personal characteristics
Tendency to reduce contact with Boss
Diminished self-confidence
Hyper vigilance of Boss behavior
Takes feedback with “a grain of salt”
Tendency to bring up the past
Reputation as “the person most likely to disagree
with the boss”
• Tendency to engage in covert lobbying
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Taking Responsibility
• Stop digging
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks
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Taking Responsibility
• Stop digging
– Get your job in order
– Get your head in order
– Don’t rush it
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks
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Taking Responsibility
• Stop digging
• Start talking
– Increase contact with boss
– Make it easy for the boss
– Invite your boss to a meeting
– Have a new conversation
• Accomplish some tasks
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Taking Responsibility
• Stop digging
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks
– Maintain your own selfconfidence
– Fight the urge to withdraw
– Don’t overreach
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Things to Remember
•
Know when to hold ‘em,
know when to fold ‘em.
•
There is no one to blame.
•
Let go of expectations of your boss.
•
Offer the benefit of the doubt.
•
Produce hope, rather than pursue it.
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The Set-Up-To Fail Syndrome
• Widespread
• Insidious & Pernicious
• Based on
Loss of Confidence
“Common Wisdom”
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The Downward Spiral:
Don't Set Yourself up for Failure
with Your Boss
Presented by:
Rob Orr, SPHR
HR Consultant
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