Preventing Derailment: What To Do Before It's Too Late

The Process of Derailment

With the exception of unforgivable sins—dishonesty or breaches of integrity—derailment patterns play out over time. Standards of excellence change as managers who were first rewarded for standout individual contributions are later expected to orchestrate a network, team build, and see that things are done rather than do many tasks alone.

Why Managers Derail

1.  Difficulty in molding a staff:

•  slapdash selection, cronyism, or choosing staff in one’s own image;

•  being dictatorial with subordinates;

•  not resolving conflict among subordinates;

•  being a poor delegator.

2.  Difficulty in making strategic transitions. This becomes particularly apparent when entering the executive culture or switching to an unknown area ...