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Annoying Boss Habit Number Four

The Genius Complex at work can be a real problem.  If someone on the team, particularly the boss, thinks they have all the answers then communication, innovation and results will likely suffer.

In an ideal organizational environment, everyone needs to contribute their time, energy, creativity, and knowledge to get the job done.  While virtually every industry embraces the value of the "rocket scientists" out there, not all business innovation comes from the high IQ type.  Often it comes from the high EQ type. 

There are many instances in the corporate world where the best new ideas come from people on the front lines.  Sales, customer service, marketing, accounting, and administrative people want to know their ideas count.  This input and communication needs to be recognized and acted on by small business owners and managers.  But those with a Genius Complex are not likely to hear or act on this kind of feedback.  Eventually the flow stops and the owner is left to reacting to issues since no one will want to convey.  Neither bad news nor good news to flows as freely to someone who acts like a know it all.  The genius of the company often ends up isolated for a reason.  And this can be very costly for the owners and investors of the business.

A high level of innovation, from the bottom up, can best be fostered in an environment where there is no singe genius.  Diversity plays a role when it comes to building a team or organization.  People with complementary skills, perspectives and backgrounds achieve better results than teams comprised of those who can't play well with others.  So there really should be no tolerance for a genius to stifle the flow of communication and innovation.

As business coaches we all see this annoying trait appear at all levels of an organization.  But when it's a characteristic of a business owner/client, we address the issue head on.   Feedback surveys and assessments often convey helpful training and coaching paths to identify and eliminate the hablt.  People often don't realize they are being perceived as know it alls.  Once awareness is created the issue can be addressed.  If the client wants to change, and they commit to being accountable and doing the work, even the most EQ challenged people can make changes.

There's a lot about the psychology of this in Emotional Intelligence by by Daniel Goleman.  Great read if you haven't read it. 

Know anyone at work who acts like a genius?  What's the impact on the work flow and results?  We always appreciate your stories.

Cliff Jones