Psych Minors and Leadership

Years ago I enrolled in a college Psychology course in the hopes of getting a little bit more information on how the brain processes information. I had no intention of becoming a Psychologist. I just wanted the introductory course information on the mechanics of the brain.

While attending the course, there was a great notion passed around: there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor. Yep. Bang on. Being lumped in with a bunch of other first year Psych students made for some interesting discussions: especially from those who, in their first year, already fancied themselves a Psychologist. Nothing scarier than a Psych minor - except maybe a weekend Leadership grad.

Companies who send their middle managers off to weekend leadership courses need to be open and transparent about why they are sending a middle manager to the course. Is it because you think that a particular middle manager lacks some basic people skills and could use some of the personal development skills found in the course? Or are you actually sending your middle manager to leadership school because you believe that either he or she has the potential to do great things with themselves, to be a great leader of others and potentially achieve top spot in senior management?

No really. Be honest. Tell the truth.

Because if you let a middle manager believe that the reason they are going to leadership school is because they have a shot at becoming CEO one day, then that middle manager could return to work Monday morning and with an ego trip as big as the second coming of the messiah. You will have created the perfect recipe for a staff revolt - putting further distance between management and employee.

Here's why. Just like the notion that there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor, the same is true about many first-time leadership-course grads. If you are not clear why you wish someone to attend the course, they may perceive themselves to be higher up the food chain than they actually are - which means they return full of self-importance. Because that is how they would have attended the course, what they got out of it may not be what you wanted them to learn. They might be thinking themselves a future senior manager. You might be seeing them as a last chance to improve some basic skills or be fired. So be honest.  

If you don't think that your middle manager has some basic people skills then don't send them to leadership school to get it. If you do, make sure you are completely forthright in discussing why they are going: to get some basic people skills to be a better person - not because they are being considered for promotion.

Better yet, consider sending your people who lack basic people skills to a personal development course. Save leadership for those who would one day lead. But remember, you don't become a leader overnight in exchange for money no matter what the course-offering claim might be. That leadership course is simply a starting point to a life-long commitment to self-improvement. If you think you can buy your way into leadership then you, after three whole days, still don't understand the Attitude of Leadership - and you wasted your money.

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Attitude w/ ATTITUDE

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