This cast addresses a behavioral change for an insidious practice of High I Managers: starting well and ending poorly.

When we started this series on the most common failings of different types of bosses, we said all bosses have foibles. In our first in the series, we said the error that so many High C bosses make is being so perfectionist that no idea is ever good enough. When someone else suggests something, they immediately "try to add too much value" as Marshall Goldsmith says, by pointing out something that isn't as perfect as it could be, and other ways the idea could be made better.

Alas, the direct who hears this doesn't hear, "this is good, let's make it better, because I would never suggest making improvements to a truly BAD idea". What they hear is, "this is wrong, and this is how I can make your wrongness right."

Oh, and by the way, if you're thinking to yourself, why wouldn't anyone want their idea made better, then you're likely a High C boss and you need to go listen. ;-)

But what about a High I boss? What is their common foible? We said that many High C managers can be found in IT and technical areas. High I bosses, if you want to increase your chances of seeing one in the wild, are likely over in Sales and Marketing. (This is an overgeneralization! One of Mike and Mark's favorite managers ever is an off the charts High I working software development in the telecom space, and she knows who she is.)

The High I manager often is one step away from chaos in managing their work and their team. They don't plan, and they believe that their insights and network can solve any problem. They start work and then lose interest, and their team feels pulled in a hundred directions, and at risk of working on the wrong thing, never being sure (because of never being told which is most important).

  1. Follow Through - Stop Starting Stuff You Don't Finish
  2. Follow Through - Work The Plan and Make Sure Your Details Are RIGHT
  3. Follow Through - Report Professionally on Your Work

This Cast Answers These Questions

  • How can I be a better manager as a High I?
  • How do I make sure I finish things as a High I?
  • Why does finishing things matter as a High I?

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