Some Vital Distinctions

Unfortunately, managers rarely see themselves as their direct reports see them. What the manager considers decisive ("I don't beat around the bush"), direct reports see as closed-minded ("Nobody else's ideas are ever considered"). What the manager considers resolute ("I know how to stick to a decision"), direct reports see as "bulldozing ahead without listening to reason" — and so on.

In the end, of course, it's the way direct reports see things that determines whether they're going to be alienated. When a manager's direct reports see autocratic, heavy-handed, and exploitative behavior day after day, expecting them to be dedicated and committed is totally unrealistic.

How About Q2 Management

Managers who are intent upon job security (behavior that the Dimensional® Model of Managerial Behavior labels as Q2) operate on the premise that it's harder to take shots at a low profile.

Therefore, they keep their profile as low as possible. In fact, they sometimes seem "invisible" — out of sight and, they hope, out of mind, especially their boss's mind. Aloof and often inaccessible, they mind their own business and stay out of the line of fire; as they see it, managers who risk exposure are vulnerable, while those who dig a trench and stay in it are safe.

To make their offices a refuge from company politics and troubles, security-seeking managers are tight-lipped and noncommittal ("Managers who keep their mouths shut keep their jobs"). They consider inaction and vacillation "smart" ("Hot-shots come and go in this company — I came and stayed").

Security-seekers are apathetic managers. The result, of course, is that many people who work for them gradually lose heart. Reporting to an alienated manager, the employees become alienated themselves.