Your company's culture and people are the key to success beyond product-market fit. But there's a hidden danger that can harm even the best workplaces: the Managerial Trojan Horse.
A Managerial Trojan Horse is a new leader who brings in their former colleagues, believing it will build a strong team and make decisions easier. However, this can harm company culture by creating an echo chamber and stifling innovation.
Think about these possible problems caused by the Managerial Trojan Horse:
- Less Diversity and Progress: If a new manager only brings in people they know, the company becomes less diverse. This stops new ideas and progress in areas like tech, supply chain, and operations.
- Less Focus on Skills: Picking friends over skilled people makes hiring worse. It's better to focus on skills and experience when hiring.
- Culture Changes: Every company has its own way of doing things. If a different way takes over, even if it worked somewhere else, it might clash with the team's ways. This can lead to problems and disagreements among team members.
- Team's Motivation Drops: It's important that everyone feels valued at work. Putting new hires above current team members can make them feel ignored and less motivated, which hurts how well they work.
- "Kiss Ass" Culture Forms: In a "kiss ass" culture, employees try too hard to please the new manager and their group. This can lead to:
- ~Hiding True Feelings: Employees might not share their real thoughts because they fear upsetting the new manager.
- ~Less New Ideas: Playing favorites stops employees from suggesting new and different things because they worry about being ignored or getting in trouble.
- ~Less Teamwork: True teamwork is when everyone's ideas matter. A "kiss ass" culture ruins this, as everyone competes for attention instead.
- Less Trust and Morale: If employees feel they're not treated fairly or recognized for their work, they might not trust the company's leaders. This can lead to people being unhappy and doing less work.
- Good Employees Leave: When good employees feel unhappy, they might look for better jobs. Losing talented workers hurts a company's ability to be competitive and come up with new ideas.
To protect against this:
- Implement a rigorous hiring process. This means focusing on qualifications, skills, and cultural fit. Involving multiple stakeholders in the hiring decision adds objectivity to the mix.
- Hire Carefully: Choose new people based on skills and how well they fit with the company. Get many opinions before hiring.
- Embrace Diversity: Different ideas lead to better results. Encourage hiring people from different backgrounds and experiences.
- Keep a Strong Culture: How things are done makes a company special. Keep a culture that values everyone's contributions and helps them feel like they belong.
- Talk Openly: Good communication is important. Make a culture where team members can talk about problems without fear.
The Managerial Trojan Horse can hurt even the best workplaces. By following these values and ideas and using industry reports, you can keep your company's culture strong and make sure your team succeeds.
Final thoughts
Equip your company with the tools to outsmart the Managerial Trojan Horse and foster a thriving, united culture that stands strong against any threat.
