The Problem With Promoting a Jerk at Work
Oh, he’s good. Very good. He gets sh__ done. It’s hard to argue with the results. So what if he’s ruffling a few feathers… with his team, with his peers, with HR, with IT? The better he does, the better you look. And so you choose to look the other way, shrug your shoulders and chalk it up to the cost of genius. And you go ahead and promote that jerk at work.
And that may work. For a while. If you’re lucky you can get him promoted and cross your fingers that someday he will be in a position to return the favor. Which of course is a roll of the dice with a guy like that. But then again, you certainly don’t want to be on his bad side.
Another shoulder shrug, and there you are defending his obnoxious moves, helping him to move on and get out of your hair.
3 Consequences of Promoting the Smart, Successful Jerk at Work
1. Everyone’s Taking Notes
I’ve been in enough focus groups across enough companies to tell you–when you promote that jerk at work, people assume it’s the jerk behavior that sealed the deal. No one assumes they got promoted in spite of their obvious lack of couth. You’ve just sanctioned destructive behavior that people now justify to themselves as the “only way” to make it.
See Also How to Manage an Arrogant, Slightly Oboxious High-Performer
2. You Instantly Tank Your Credibility
Even if you spend most of your time leading as a Winning Well manager, you’ll lose the hearts and minds of those looking up to you believing it’s possible to get results–without losing your soul. Promoting a jerk who gets (short-term) results without looking at the impact on the relationships they need to sustain them, is a credibility-busting move with the true A players you need for lasting success. The minute you’ve made the announcement, they’re looking around for a smarter boss to work for, who gets the bigger picture.
3. You Fuel the “Why Bother?” Factor
When the “witch” gets promoted, there’s going to be a certain segment of your box 9 high potential employees who are going to shout “No way. If that’s what it takes, I’m not interested.” They won’t say much, and they’ll keep up appearances–but the extra effort will likely go elsewhere. True A players are always working hard… it’s just a matter of where they’re investing their energy.
Don’t underestimate the consequences of supporting and promoting a high-potential jerk. Sure, it’s the path of least resistance. But can you imagine the impact of investing strategically in their development to help them grow past it? Recovering jerky A players rank among some of the best leaders I know.
Take the time to go there.
Your turn.
What have you seen as the downsides of promoting a jerk at work?
See Also: Psychological Safety: Why People Don’t Speak Up at Work
For more; 
0 Comments