Excerpted from the forth coming The Truth About Being a LeaderAnd Nothing But The Truth
Have you ever walked into a high school locker room or a martial arts class? The smell that hits you is that of competition and sweat. In meeting rooms in organizations around the world, the dynamics, if not the aroma, are similar, as peers jockey for power in an adult version of sports competition.
It’s no accident that on feedback questionnaires of all kinds, peers tend to mark each other below scores received from bosses and direct reports.
When you enter a leadership role, it’s important to realize that the game has changed and your new peers may now see you as competition.
It’s usually not personal. A certain amount of distrust is natural, because, now or in the future, you and your peers will be in direct competition for roles, resources, and remuneration. And it’s okay, indeed healthy, to develop some caution regarding the motivation and moves of your peers. Otherwise, you could be in for a nasty surprise.
Consider Albert, who relied on another department’s research and fact finding capabilities. He soon found that...