# Managers, Assholes, and Stupidity By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-02-25 By my estimation, one only needs one attribute to be a reasonably effective manager: don't be an asshole. Here I'm defining asshole as a clueless person consumed with self-interest who is condescending and believes they are never wrong. Most bad managers are some version of this asshole. Their attitude and perspective from a position of authority make working with them a nearly unbearable experience. Meanwhile, a manager who is not condescending, believes they make mistakes, and cares about others is immediately a much better manager to work for. This is regardless of whether they need to be more knowledgeable about the work. While it may be frustrating at times that the one in charge has no clue how to do the work, at least they are pleasant to work with and seem to give a damn. If one does nothing else, one can be a pretty effective manager in modern organizations by just not being an asshole. Of course, the issue is that those who are assholes don't think they are assholes, and no amount of intervention will convince them otherwise. I've long given up dealing with assholes via the "mature adult conversation." It only works if both parties want to see an improvement and are open to the idea of being wrong. By definition, the asshole never thinks they are wrong. So, I either remove myself from dealing with them or only leverage them for their talents worth the cost of their flawed personality. But, the second that I suspect the price is no longer worth it, I'm out of there, even if I once thought they were not an asshole and I counted them as a friend or family member. My life is not long enough to deal with them. Some cultural paradigms would like me not to abandon them, especially if they were once "close friends" and "family members." This is the flip side of the asshole coin: stupidity, defined as making choices that hurt oneself and others. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Assholes]] [[Stupid]] [[Choice]] [[Behavior]] [[Effort]] [[Efficiency]]