What Do Leaders Think of Their Peers?

How delusional can leaders get? An old research on intent-impact gap showed that while 70% of leaders thought they were inspiring, 80% of employees thought their leaders were not.

Here’s another survey from the book The Promises of Giants, which found that leaders thought of themselves as organizational role models, but did not share the same opinion about their peer leaders!

“.. we often survey managers anonymously and ask if they believe their own behavior is congruent with the cultural values of the business. And typically, about 80% respond, “Yes, my behavior lives up to the cultural values.”. But when we ask the same group if the behavior of others in the organization is congruent with its values, 70% say, “No, the behavior of my colleagues does not live up to our values.”

.. 80% of those respondents are saying other managers, but not themselves, are primarily responsible for the nonoptimal culture within their own organization. They’re essentially saying, “It’s not me — it’s them.”

The aim of this is not to ridicule leaders, since it is basic human nature, but to point out the need for increased self-awareness , and introspection among leaders.