The Case for Boring Managers

Not every great leader is a visionary showman—and the latest research suggests they probably shouldn’t be. In this episode, we look at why companies keep promoting charismatic narcissists, even though their ego-driven decisions often hurt morale, stability, and performance. Psychologists like Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic argue that the real backbone of healthy organizations is the “boring manager”: calm, dependable, emotionally mature, and quietly competent. But if these steady hands are so effective, why are they so often overlooked? And how can unflashy but capable people make themselves visible without becoming self-promoters? We explore the science of leadership, the hidden cost of charisma, and why the future might belong to the managers no one notices—until everything starts working.https://www.economist.com/business/2023/02/23/unshowy-competence-brings-drawbacks-as-well-as-benefits