Humble public sector managers lack leadership confidence

Citation

(2007), "Humble public sector managers lack leadership confidence", Women in Management Review, Vol. 22 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/wimr.2007.05322hab.004

Humble public sector managers lack leadership confidence

Humble public sector managers lack leadership confidence

Public sector managers lack confidence in their own leadership skills and consistently underestimate what they achieve

This is the central finding of an analysis of results from “profiling tool” – a system that rates managers against 42 specific leadership behaviors. The results show that individual managers are regularly rated more highly by their own managers and colleagues than they rate themselves.

“The results suggest a lack of self-belief among public sector managers about their ability to lead others,” says Ian Lawson, development director at The Work Foundation. “They are too ready to believe the stereotype of the quiet, unassuming public sector manager. But this is emphatically not how their colleagues see them behave at work.”

The work foundation's analysis of data from across the UK public sector shows clear agreement on what public sector leaders do best and where they could improve their leadership performance. Public sector leaders are most successful when it comes to taking responsibility for their own and their team's actions; not taking credit for other people's successes; and giving praise where it is due.

Team members rate managers highly for an ability to develop relationships inside and outside the organization and to operate using trust rather than suspicion. Their line managers give them credit for an ability to set a good example by practising what they preach and for raising issues upwards with courage and conviction.

However, public sector managers are seen to be less good at providing an inspirational view of the future and delegating effectively.

The results throw up some stereotypical views of gender difference with women managers recognized for a nurturing role. Women managers also have a more positive view of their own ability to recognize stress, make people feel important and help others to deliver.

Team members consistently rate women managers more highly than male managers on 86 percent of behaviors (36 out of 42). They rate women as more successful than men at keeping promises; consulting others; developing staff; and clarifying direction.

Line managers tend to rate the leadership skills of male managers who work for them more highly than they do female managers. They rate men more highly than women on 70 percent (29 out of 42) leadership behaviors, but the differences in ratings are small.

Ian Lawson says:

Any attempt to become a better leader must always begin with self-awareness. Even small changes in behaviour based on feedback from colleagues can make a big difference to an individual's ability to lead. It is when a person gains effective insights into their leadership abilities that something clicks within them and somehow they expand into a role.