Ever wondered what your employees/ colleagues really think of you? Well you won’t find it in the 360 degree feedback form they were required to fill in! How ever if they refer to you by a nickname ( behind your back) it’s probably unflattering but accurate.
The existence of nickname for unpopular senior managers tells us not only something about them but also something about the culture of the organisation. As a management consultant seen as independent of the organisation when people are explaining the obstacles and frustrations in their role they sometimes illustrate it by saying, “well you know what they call him don’t you”.
I don’t mean abusive or obscene name calling I am referring a nickname that sums up the managers approach to management. A senior manager was know throughout the organisation as Mr Teflon because despite his involvement in a number of troubled restructurings and failed projects no blame ever attached to him, nothing stuck. If things didn’t go according to plan this individual wasn’t going to take responsibility. If the restructuring he was leading dragged on long past the original time scale bogged down in appeals and disputes over redeployments he had no problem blaming HR for bad advise, being too soft or not up to the task.
Finance and HR call this Director Frank Sinatra because he always did it his way. Trying to explain the importance of following the correct procedures whether they be relation to authorising budget spends or filling posts was a frustrating experience. Old blue eyes didn’t ask for advice and didn’t take it .
Them there was “The Professor” as his colleague called him. He found it difficult to make a decision, always needing more information, always asking for further reports and more up to date figures . As far as he was concerned important decisions could not be rushed. He had no sense of urgency.
In the same organisation the senior manager for the Easter division was referred to as the Wicked Witch of the East by those who found her overly critical and difficult to work with. However there were others who pointed out that the same challenging and robust management style by male colleagues was admired indicating that in some parts of the organisation there was a problem of misogyny.
The existence of Mr Teflon, Frank Sinatra, The professor and the Wicked Witch of the East illustrated unhelpful behaviour which was having a negative impact on the organisation . These individuals occupied senior positions and as such set the tone of the organisation, their nickname revealed much about their behaviour and the organisation’s culture.
