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How to Deal with the Unintentional Jerk Executive
Difficult executives are the bane of their peers and a major drag on the energy of their bosses.
Unintentional Jerk
The “unintentional jerk” is a particular type of difficult executive. They have the best of intentions and firmly believe that they are doing what is best for their company or team. However, they leave a trail of destruction as they plow through the organization trying to achieve their goals. And, when confronted about their behavior, they are shocked to hear that people are upset with them.
Unintentional jerks aren’t necessarily passive aggressive types (more on those executives in my briefing titled: The Insidious Executive) because they aren’t doing things behind peoples’ backs. Rather, they are blatantly pursuing their goals and running over people in the process.
The good news is that the unintentional jerk is often open to change, whereas the true jerk could care less. The challenge for a boss is to determine where their subordinate fits on the jerk continuum. If the person truly is an unintentional jerk, then they may be able to adjust their attitude and behavior if they are guided and work hard. True jerks aren’t worth the investment.
Identifying the Unintentional Jerk
Genuinely unintentional jerks are frequently:
