The Deans Disease

The deans disease is a problem that potentially any manager can be susceptible to. The deans disease can be applied to any form of leadership in a sense that power can be overwhelming. The abuse of power, and the control of resources that the power encompasses, can be a very big problem. The common affect of the deans disease can be seen in many aspects of management, not just deans.

The top manager of any team has certain people who work under them. When these people begin to copy the dean in ways to always benefit the manager, the manager becomes more engulfed into the disease. The constant praise and complements from the lower workers always reassures the manager that everything he or she is doing is essentially perfect. This power trip that the manager becomes engulfed in consumes his or her entire reality of managing. Then the manager becomes more of a figure of power and dominance instead of being a leader.

A good leader needs to be social, humble, and have a good sense of who they are. They need to realize their weaknesses before they can better the work of others. Good leaders surround themselves with people who take issue to the thoughts and ideas that the manager has to offer. The best way to learn is through conflict, and when there is nobody to conflict with, the process never gets better. Everyone just becomes consumed by the managers power, and strives to be like him or her.

The way to look out for these traits in everyday situations is to encourage independent thought, reinforce independent thought, and implement a written policy that implements the idea of open door ideas. The manager needs to be accessible in every aspect. He or she needs to listen to what others have to say about certain ideas. And not to act from the position standpoint, but act on a social positive manner that internally motivates his or her employees to succeed. The main way to stay away from the deans disease is to be social, open, accessible, and continuously improve ideas and rules to better everyone.