The Set-Up-to-Fail Syndrome

Description

An employee you manage slips up somehow: a missed deadline, a lost account, or a weak presentation. You decide to oversee that person's work more closely. After all, if your direct reports aren't delivering, it's your head that will roll. To further your frustration, the more you "help," the worse the employee's performance becomes. What's going on? In this eye-opening book, two leadership experts expose a disturbing and surprisingly rampant phenomenon. While common wisdom assumes that so-called poor performers fail in spite of their boss's best efforts, this book demonstrates exactly the opposite. In many cases, a boss' attitudes and behaviors actually cause or 'set up' certain individuals- including those with great potential- to fail. Based on ten years of study into boss-subordinate relationships, the authors show that this set-up-to-fail syndrome is not confined to relationships with the proverbial 'boss from hell.' Even respected leaders- whether CEOs, teachers, or coaches- get caught up in it. The problem stems from the fact that while most managers empower and encourage star performers, they tend to micromanage and control perceived 'weaker' performers in ways that stifle self-confidence and drive. The unwitting result: the latter group lives down to expectations, rather than living up to its true potential. The cost of this syndrome goes well beyond the lost productivity of a few individuals, it also threatens to derail careers, takes a heavy toll on morale, and hampers overall organizational results. For anyone with influence on an individual's potential, this book offers powerful ways to recognize and understand these problems and thus enabling corrections to be made that both improve performance and quality of life in any organizational setting. -- from Book Jacket. Annotation.

First Sentence

When an employee fails-or even just performs poorly-managers typically place the blame outside themselves.

Subjects