Nut-Proof

One of the real tests of an organization is whether it is nut-proof.

At some point, a delusional or just flat-out incompetent leader will stroll in the door and the organization's middle managers will have to scramble to save The Great Man (or Woman) from destroying the place. This requires a level of competence, diplomacy, and conniving that can be impressive although the wisest middle managers won't seek acknowledgement and instead will take simple satisfaction in keeping the shop open and the plants watered.

That is one reason why pouring vast amounts of training into middle management and first-line supervision eventually pays off. Those individuals are the real keys to the organization's success because, in addition to their daily accomplishments, they stand as an insurance policy against lunacy at the top. Their ability to "reinterpret" insane orders, lose nit-witted guidelines, chuck flavor-of-the-month enthusiasms, and disregard staff toadies can filter and diminish out the most harmful ineptitude. Their studied inefficiency in carrying out ill-conceived plans that need to be squelched is admirable. True, it may spill over into resistance to decent projects but the filter must be preserved.

As the saying goes, it does you no good to run when you're on the wrong road. Some unwritten parts of every middle manager's and first line supervisor's job description are the ability and willingness to subdue improper management actions, even if - perhaps especially if - those actions are ordered from the top. By doing so, those individuals can save management from itself. They will not always make the organization nut-proof but they can do so in many instances and that is no small achievement.