“Once you achieve a certain level in an organization, you should not have to be managed. Adults should just get along!”
— countless managers and HR professionals
It is no coincidence that people fail to see the relevance of being clear about authority in organizations. We were all born into an authority system called the family. Our primary caregiver(s)’ parenting had a profound impact on how we perceive bosses: both in how we manage and how we think we should be managed. Reactive beliefs may persist: rigidity of who can talk to whom, a consensus model pretending all are equal or, worse, the idea that all bosses should be removed.
To think “Adults should just get along” is, ironically, not a very adult statement ...
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