Why Some Leaders Are Like Bad College Professors
Take yourself back to your college days for a moment. Think about all the professors you had and remember the ones that you really liked, the ones that were okay, and the ones that were really bad. My guess is that an unscientific distribution of those categories follows the 20/60/20 rule (see my blog post on the 20/60/20 rule) where 20% were good, 60% were average and 20% were bad.
Let's start with the bad ones. There are a variety of different reasons why some professors are not particularly liked by students but it's not usually because they don't know the subject matter thoroughly. I remember the teachers I struggled with the most were the ones that were absolutely brilliant.
So what was the issue? In my view, the main reason why these professors didn't deliver is simple. They did not have the ability to translate their wealth of knowledge into simpler terms that college students could grasp onto and comprehend.
The professors got frustrated when students didn't understand what they were saying and they didn't have any alternative ways of teaching. Now, here's the worst part........they don't see it. They think their teaching approach and style are fine and it's the students that just aren't "getting it."
The end result?? Students didn't learn the material and they were frustrated because they did poorly on examinations.
In the business world, I see many leaders that have the same issues as bad college professors. There are extremely intelligent and know the business inside and out. However, they are not able to translate vision and strategic thinking into simple and concise concepts that employees at all levels can understand. These leaders can't understand why their employees don't "get it" and assume it's the employee's problem.
Also in this case, there is no attempt by leadership to simplify the message in order gain broader comprehension. They don't believe it's a problem with the messenger or the message. This leadership "blind spot" causes visions and strategies to be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Employees are left confused as to what the message is or what it is they can do to support it. Here are some things to avoid so you don't become the "bad professor" in your company.
Let's now focus on the really good professors you had. The ones I remember had the following qualities:
They also felt that if students didn't learn, it was a failure on their part, not the students.
Asa leader, focus on being one of the "good professors." These leaders understand the ultimate goals of communication are comprehension and application. Organizations will achieve incredible results with these"professors" at the helm!
Please share your thoughts and comments on this topic. I'd love to hear from you. You can also check out my website at www.derrickstrand.com or email me at dstrand@derrickstrand.com for general information or to sign up for my newsletter. Also, connect with me at the following social media links:
Let's start with the bad ones. There are a variety of different reasons why some professors are not particularly liked by students but it's not usually because they don't know the subject matter thoroughly. I remember the teachers I struggled with the most were the ones that were absolutely brilliant.
So what was the issue? In my view, the main reason why these professors didn't deliver is simple. They did not have the ability to translate their wealth of knowledge into simpler terms that college students could grasp onto and comprehend.
The professors got frustrated when students didn't understand what they were saying and they didn't have any alternative ways of teaching. Now, here's the worst part........they don't see it. They think their teaching approach and style are fine and it's the students that just aren't "getting it."
The end result?? Students didn't learn the material and they were frustrated because they did poorly on examinations.
In the business world, I see many leaders that have the same issues as bad college professors. There are extremely intelligent and know the business inside and out. However, they are not able to translate vision and strategic thinking into simple and concise concepts that employees at all levels can understand. These leaders can't understand why their employees don't "get it" and assume it's the employee's problem.
Also in this case, there is no attempt by leadership to simplify the message in order gain broader comprehension. They don't believe it's a problem with the messenger or the message. This leadership "blind spot" causes visions and strategies to be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Employees are left confused as to what the message is or what it is they can do to support it. Here are some things to avoid so you don't become the "bad professor" in your company.
Ensure your message is clear, concise and simple. Fifty plus page powerpoint presentations are a NO NO! Keep the message to one or two slides if possible. If you need more than this, your message isn't concise enough.
Ask for feedback. After your presentation, ask for electronic feedback. Do people understand the message or not? If not, take that feedback and do it again with a different approach. Keep doing this until the message is clear.
Don't try to look like you are smarter than everyone else. People resent that. Keep it simple and people will respond positively. Remember, the goal here isn't communication, it's effective communication. Effective communication means that the largest number of people comprehend the message and know how to apply it.
Let's now focus on the really good professors you had. The ones I remember had the following qualities:
- Fun
- Interesting
- Deep knowledge of the subject
- Passionate about the subject
- Passionate about you learning
- Flexible with learning approaches
- Self deprecating
- Able to break down complex things into simple, bite size chunks
They also felt that if students didn't learn, it was a failure on their part, not the students.
Asa leader, focus on being one of the "good professors." These leaders understand the ultimate goals of communication are comprehension and application. Organizations will achieve incredible results with these"professors" at the helm!
Please share your thoughts and comments on this topic. I'd love to hear from you. You can also check out my website at www.derrickstrand.com or email me at dstrand@derrickstrand.com for general information or to sign up for my newsletter. Also, connect with me at the following social media links:
Posted by Derrick Strand at 9/2/2010 7:09 AM 
Categories: Communication, Leadership
Tags: Communication Leadership
Categories: Communication, Leadership
Tags: Communication Leadership
Hi, Derrick!
As always, a fun and thought-provoking read. (Being back in college part-time these days, I can really appreciate your frame of reference!) My immediate reaction is one that entails focusing on the overall system.
Those Bad Professors with limited instructional skill didn't hire themselves. Since there's a desire to have PhD's teaching most classes, PhD's ar hired to teach them, however, obtaining a doctoral degree is about academic and intellectual ability. There is, of course, no reason to expect that the skills one develops pursuing a PhD will create an effective instructor. While some schools are making teaching a part of the PhD's required course of study, it is not, and has not been, the norm. Consequently, we end up with a large number of people who aren't naturally skilled with, or trained in, the very thing that will make them successful at their jobs.
It is much the same with management & leadership. The folks you describe who are in leadership positions very likely got there based on longevity and/or technical merit. Over the course of their experience that brought them into the leadership positions, they were never asked to, nor taught to, provide strong leadership. Consequently, there are a few who have a natural talent for it, however, the greater number struggle to practice doing something they were never exposed to. If, as you say, there are "leaders" who are highly knowledgeable but can't pass that knowledge on to others, then I don't think we can say those folks are Leading, because no one will follow. Instead, those folks are the typical Manager we have all come to have a great distaste for: the person who can't truly connect with others and must rely on positional authority or a haughty sense of technical expertise to get anything accomplished.
The Bad Professors, at work or at school, are also someone's student. If they aren't expertly coached and trained by a Good Professor themselves, we can only expect a low likelihood that true leaders will emerge in the organization. Since we will be relying on each individual to develop leadership skills independently, or to have them naturally, we end up with a small percentage who can provide the Good Professor we're looking for....probably somewhere around 20%. ;^)
Thanks so much for a powerful analogy and a very thought-provoking post! This is one of those that can really kick of some much-needed discussion. It's great to have something to really chew on.
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