All Managers Are Morons

Whether it’s in the realm of marketing, leadership, or everyday life, we sometimes stumble upon generalisations that, while audacious, serve to make us think deeply about inherent human behaviours and prejudices. One such claim was popularised by Seth Godin in his provocative book title, “All Marketers are Liars”. Borrowing a leaf from his book, let’s explore the argument: All managers are morons. And yes, I’m serious.

Definitions First

Managers: When we speak of managers, we aren’t just talking about middle-management or those who supervise a small team. The term ‘manager’ here covers a broad spectrum, from team leaders to high-level executives. Anyone with responsibility for directing or overseeing the work of others, setting objectives, and ensuring goals are met falls under this definition.

Morons: Rather than referring to the derogatory term rooted in early 20th-century psychology, we’re defining a ‘moron’ as someone with little to zero self-awareness and self-knowledge. It’s a reflection of our inability to introspect, evolve, and comprehend our impact on the world around us.

Argument 1: All People are Morons, All Managers are People. Therefore…

It might be hard to digest, but we’ve all displayed ‘moronic’ behaviour at some point. Each one of us has found ourselves in situations where we’ve lacked self-awareness or understanding about our actions and their repercussions. It’s a part of the human experience.

1. Cognitive Biases: We humans are wired with a host of cognitive biases that skew our perspective. For instance, the Dunning-Kruger effect makes people believe they’re more skilled than they truly are. This lack of self-awareness can lead to overestimation and underperformance.
2. The Blind Spot: Everyone knows someone who can’t see their flaws but can easily point out others’. That’s because, inherently, we all have a blind spot when it comes to self-perception. And this is compounded when lack of curiousity perpetuates this blindness.
3. Emotional Hijacking: Emotions often cloud our judgement. Whether it’s anger, sadness, or immense joy, strong emotions can lead us to act without considering the consequences, a definitive sign of lack of self-awareness.

Argument 2: Following Fads

Managers, being humans, are susceptible to getting lured by the latest trends and fads. Without critical evaluation, they might adopt methods or tools that aren’t beneficial in the long run, just because they’re currently popular.

Argument 3: Ignorance, Compounded by Indolence

A manager’s ignorance, when coupled with laziness, lack of curiosity, or failure to study and ground decisions and actions in proven theory, will have detrimental effects. It can lead to missed opportunities, wrong decisions, and inefficiencies. We might call this “seat-of-pants” management.

Argument 4: Accepting Things at Face Value

Managers, like any other individual, generally take things at face value. Instead of delving deeper, asking probing questions, or experimenting to discover underlying truths, they accept the presented information, leading to potential misconceptions or errors. Cf. William Kingdon Clifford on “The Ethics of Belief”.

Argument 5: Driven by Self-Interest

Self-interest generally overshadows all managers’ decision-making. While it’s natural to have personal ambitions and guard one’s own well-being, it becomes problematic when those interests conflict with the team or company’s greater good.

Argument 6: The Fundamental Attribution Error

This cognitive bias, widely prevalent, involves attributing someone’s actions more to their character than the situation they’re in. For managers, this can result in misjudgements about team members’ intentions or capabilities whilst holding their own decisions and behaviours to an entirely different standard.

All Managers are People

Managers, be it at the basic or executive level, are humans first. Their rank doesn’t exempt them from the human condition. Hence, if all people have moments of being ‘morons’, so do all managers.

Drawing the Analogy: Marketing and Management

Seth Godin’s claim that “All Marketers are Liars” wasn’t intended to insult every marketer. Instead, he explained that stories sell, and marketers are essentially storytellers who might sometimes stretch the truth for a narrative.

Likewise, “All Managers are Morons” isn’t a sweeping statement of their incompetency. It’s an acknowledgment of their humanity and fallibility, a call for introspection and growth.

The Call to Self-Awareness

The goal of this post isn’t to undermine managers – although I have serious issues with the whole idea of management – but to highlight the human tendencies they, like all of us, might exhibit. Recognising these tendencies is the first step to growth. Managers may choose, especially those in influential positions, to understand these inclinations and continuously strive for self-awareness.

In conclusion, while “All Managers are Morons” is designed to provoke thought, its underlying message is clear: it serves as a reminder of our shared human frailties. Managers, at all levels, might choose to be conscious of these pitfalls, striving always for improvement and betterment, whilst maybe considereing alternatives to the whole idea od “management”.

Further Reading

Hamel, Gary. (2011). First, Let’s Fire All The Managers. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers