Ep 13: John Brandt – Like a deadly virus, nincompoopery can sneak up on you

“People are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.”That may sound like a line from a comedian. But it’s actually from Bertrand Russell. You know—the British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, essayist, social critic and Nobel laureate. Not known for comedy.Intentionally or not, Russell provided a fair description of what often occurs in organizational cultures: Rules masquerade as reason. Sketchy thinking becomes strategy. Hair-brained ideas become products destined for the discount warehouse. Unchallenged nonsense evolves into the status quo. People go along to get along.Such unproductive environments are rarely the work of a single person. This kind of imprudence is nearly always a group activity, a collusion of silent partners.Seasoned coach John Brandt, former editor-in-chief and publisher of both Chief Executive and IndustryWeek, offers excellent advice on how to work smarter. He’s author of the book Nincompoopery: Why Your Customers Hate You—and How to Fix It.* The early warning signs of nincompoopery are learnable, and they can spare you a lot of grief.* Command-and-control hierarchies kill motivation and innovation and virtually guarantee nincompoopery.* Asking smart questions—and listening carefully to the answers—is a critical step to identifying and eradicating nincompoopery.* Where do you see signs of nincompoopery in your organizational practices?* What will you do to correct any nincompoopery you find?* What will you do to ensure that nincompoopery does not return? Get full access to LeaderSHOP at podcast.leadershop.net/subscribe