The Capable Politician

Abstract

When most of us become managers we discover that it is a harder role to fulfil than we expected. We come to realise why, before we were managers ourselves, it was easy to criticise those already in that position. All those mistakes that we observed other managers making, vowing never to be like that ourselves, suddenly seem more reasonable courses of action. Clarity evaporates before our eyes, and we begin casting around for ground rules to regain some control. That is when we find out that only some of what needs to be learned can be taught — so much has to be acquired through experience. While prescriptions abound, it turns out that they can only be applied generally. What works well in one circumstance fails in another. For management is complex, and we cannot step effortlessly into it as though born to succeed, remaining undaunted by how different it is from anything we have done before. Not most of us, anyway. Usually it is anything but a seamless transition from one position to the next, and our confidence takes a battering.