Conclusion

Although many potential derailers (and the already derailed) can be saved, some—even if they come to own the problem—decide fixing it is not important enough to them to make the effort.

Some decide to stick with what works for them and make the best of it. They do not want to make the transition from personal producer to manager or strategist. Others love to start operations from scratch or fix broken businesses or expand growing businesses, but are not interested in all of these challenges.

There are also some who truly wish to be executives but will derail despite the best efforts to help them. In our experience, their excessive reliance on self as a source of standards becomes an albatross. Such men and women have often done it all alone, are independent to a fault and don’t trust others to provide them with helpful feedback. They appear immune to feedback and strongly defend their own view of themselves. These are the people afflicted with what John Kotter called the “I can do anything syndrome” (Kotter, 1982). Such managers tend to ignore other people’s views, behave as if they have never failed, and are extremely unlikely to have had a mentor who demonstrated caring and understanding toward others.

Derailment is also the ebb and flow of life as personal priorities change or those who look good early opt out or seem to lack some essential ingredient in later career.

It’s important to have frequent reassessments, however. Just as situations change, so do people. As the Michelles and others go through life and management transitions, their perspectives may change substantially. As the work of Eliot Jaques (1989) and Barbara Kovach (1986) shows, some capabilities increase with age. Older managers are often able to deal with greater complexity, and both can push their point of view and integrate the views of others better. As the works of Erikson and Levinson have shown (Erikson, 1963; Levinson, 1978), older managers are much more interested in nurturing others and “passing it on.” So development takes time and some things cannot be rushed without the danger of derailing someone who is as yet unready. Recall that Michelle was only asked to work on her skills to have a better impact. She wasn’t asked to have developing others as a major personal goal, a perspective unlikely to occur for some years.

Most young managers like Michelle are better off enhancing their skills, and letting perspective build from experience and maturation. Barbara Kovach’s research indicates that the broad perspectives necessary to become effective at higher levels are best developed from a strong skill base that takes 15-20 years to mature. She concludes, “Americans have traditionally wanted to speed up all the developmental processes. They try to create first-rate readers at the age of three and first-rate executives at the age of thirty. The developmentalists tell us, however, that these processes can’t be speeded up without undue cost in other areas” (Kovach, 1986).

Through timely feedback on an effectiveness and derailment profile, more variety in the leadership experience of managers, careful attention to how and what managers learn, and occasional intervention when managers get in trouble, fewer managers can derail.

If fewer managers derailed, organizations could save money. Estimates of unwanted turnover due to derailment costs run from six figures at middle management to seven figures at the senior executive level. Exit costs, wasted training and education, hiring costs, restart costs, and the cascade effect of one empty slot at the top leading to multiple position shuffles could diminish.

If fewer managers derailed, there could be less turnover and more opportunity to build team spirit and commitment that results from continuity and long-term service. Experience and perspective could build.

If fewer managers derailed, people could lead richer, more exciting, more satisfying lives with less displacement and pain.

If fewer managers derailed, our country could have a cadre of more truly qualified leaders.