Copyright 2005 by Ethan A. Winning. All Rights Reserved.
For those of you who have never seen "American Idol," this will take a bit of explaining but, once explained, the parallel to management styles will become evident.
"American Idol" is a singing and personality contest to see who of the 100,000 or so contestants can become the next American idol at least in the hearts and minds [writ small] of the American public. The aspirants range from the abominable to the really good, though you mustn't take my word for it since I am no judge of what passes for singing or music nowadays. The "idol" is picked by the public which votes for their favorites once whittled down to the last 64 or 24 or 20 ... something like that. Each week, one of the contestants is voted out far lack of votes and, in the end, one is left standing to go on to recording contracts and true fame and fortune.
Other than the public, there are three professional judges, though they have little to do with the outcome. The three judges are Randy Jackson, a record producer who has been in the industry for more than 20 years. Paula Abdul is a cloying past recording artist who applauds using only her palms. And, last, there is Simon Cowell who has been a BMG record exec as well as the genius behind the development of the program. Since he sold the rights to his three programs (U.S., U.K., and Australia) last week, he no longer has a vested interest though, true to the industry, he has a vested ego.
I've only watched the last two years, but it doesn't take long to know the judges personalities and temperaments. It takes a while longer to figure out how they - well at least Randy and Simon - became executives in any industry.
The Bad Performance Reviewed: A typical performance by a typical singer is evaluated in one of two typical fashions by the three judges. First, we'll take the bad performance.
Randy: What's up dawg? [Randy always starts each critical critique with the word, "dawg."] I don't know, man. You started off pitchy. You tried to save it by hitting that last note, but I don't know man, it just didn't quite do it for me. I really expected better of you, but you kinda let us down, know what I mean?
Paula: I agree with Randy. You nailed the last note [having missed the thousand in between], but you were a little pitchy. [Paula is little miss echo.] Still, your outfit is stunning and you chose music which is true to your character. And I love your hair.
Simon: To be honest [Simon always starts with "to be honest" and you know you're in worse trouble than a dawg] I thought this was one of the worst performances we've ever had. You sounded like a cabaret singer on a cruise ship, and not a good cruise ship either. I don't know how you got this far, but I would suggest another profession.
The Good Performance Reviewed: Out of the last dozen, there are probably three or four good singers/performers, people whose albums you know will sell based upon looks, voice, and style. And yes, looks have something to do with it. Even Rueben Studdard, a morbidly obese individual, has charm and was dubbed "The Teddy Bear" which made him a shoe-in for the top two.
Here is the typical positive review by the three judges:
Randy: Wow! Man, you really came to life this week! That's the guy we saw during the auditions. I said that you were great then, and now you've proved it. Congratulations!
Paula: I think I'm in love with you. You remind me of the greatest singers of our time like Aretha, and Luciano, and Jim, and ... oh I dunno, every great singer that ever lived. My hands are sweating, and my heart is beating wildly. That was you! You were true to the original artist [dead from an overdose though s/he may be], and you were true to yourself. I could just get up and dance!
Simon: Well, you finally did it. If the voting were held today, you'd be America's next idol. You were great.
Management Styles: I don't know why it took me two years to realize it, but these represent three different types of managers you'll find in most companies. The apologist, the affirmer, and the brutally honest.
Randy: Randy is the type of manager who, after you've screwed up, will try and let you down easy. He'll have one or two concrete examples of how you screwed up but, not wanting to hurt your feelings, he'll say something like, "You'll do better next time" until there are no next times. When that time comes, he'll send you to Simon.
When you've done a good job, you'll be highly praised. Randy is the most balanced of the three, but I'm not sure he'll make the best manager or be the best for you if you're doing a lousy job. There's a chance you'll have a false sense of security, and that can lead to the biggest disappointment of all.
Paula: If you've done a lousy job, at least your hair is nice. Paula's type should never be put in a management position. She's on some kind of high that doesn't translate into reality for either you or her, but she already has a job. And, still, there's a feeling that she could be a lot pitchy herself if she really got ticked. I wouldn't turn my back on Paula. I wouldn't want her to be a fellow employee let alone my manager. I'll bet that Paula would be the kind of manager who is sickeningly sweet until something happens, and then she goes off like a bottle rocket.
Simon: If you can stand the truth according to Cowell, then Simon's the manager for you. Simon's problem is that he couldn't spell "tact" and, probably as part of his act, it has become a four-letter word. Yet, as I've often said, if there's bad news, I'd rather know it up front than being in limbo, not knowing whether or not the axe will fall or if there even is an axe.
This is especially true when you have several candidates for one position. Don't beat around the bush: these candidates are all hanging around waiting for the phone to ring, and you're playing the part of Randy when you should be Simon. Of course, it would be worse if you've interviewed with Paula because then you'd think you're a lead pipe cinch to get the job.
Can You Choose a Management Style? Your personality is going to be 80% of your management style. The rest is a composite of the bosses you've had in the past. What these three judges can teach us is how we viscerally react to those styles and how to avoid doing the same. If Simon had tact or Randy was a little more direct, they'd be as close to an "ideal" management style as you could have.
Truth be told, we're probably like one or all three of these judges. Who among us hasn't gone off when a deadline has been missed? And who hasn't overly praised or not praised at all? Ah, yes, you in the back... Mr. Trump, is it?