Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?: (And How to Fix It)

We all know there are very few senior female leaders, and the barriers to women's progress have been documented ad nauseum. What's gotten almost no attention is the flipside: that it's far too easy for incompetent men to get to the top.

• Learn the list of traits that often get people (mostly men) nominated to leadership roles, but backfire once people take on those roles • Learn the traits that really make leaders (women and men) competent • Learn how to select more competent leaders in your organization • Learn to identify incompetent leaders before you promote them

Audience: This is a provocative book designed to interest a general audience in a timely, hot-button issue. The primary reader is likely to be female, but there is a lot here for interested men too, whether they consider themselves "allies" or are just tired of working for a boorish boss who fits the Alpha Male mode. There should also be an interested audience among HR professionals, leadership development folks, coaches, Chief Talent Officers, Chief Learning Officers, and boards. There may also be a group of interested readers who fit the description of the overconfident men who are the focus of the book! Perhaps they would like to become more self-aware.

© 2019 Harvard Business Review Press (Ebook): 9781633696334

Release date

Ebook: 19 February 2019