The "Passenger Manager"
First Published on Linkedin Pulse
In a recent article, I touched on the concept of the Manager who also happens to be a "Passenger". I would like to explain further what I mean by this and how to look out for, recognize as well as deal with them.
What is a Passenger Manager? This is the person who is always busy with "Busy Work" but never seems to be actually doing anything of real value. They are too busy to help, to busy to fill in, too busy to cover for anyone and yet they often have a title of importance but someone else always does the work associated with this title.
To provide an example. I once worked in a company where there was a person who gave himself the title of Financial Director. However, he then proceeded to hire a Company Accountant. It was the accountant who did all the accountancy work, with the help of others doing A/P, A/R etc. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why in a small organization, there was a need for both a Financial Director and a Company Accountant.
The reason became pretty clear very quickly. The Financial Director, took the title of Director very literally. He liked Directing, but not Doing. Now, this goes far more than just having a go at someone for the sake of it. Small businesses simply cannot afford to have Passengers hanging around, and this goes far further than merely the cost.
The above mentioned Passenger, liked to walk in calmly every day and would proceed to spend about an hour opening the mail in such a casual manner that one wondered when it would be distributed throughout the office. This was fluff work. Something that he liked to convey as being an important task in relation to the direction of work in the office.
It wasn't. No company needs to be paying top dollar for a letter opener. This kind of thing is noticed and is not just a head scratcher for everyone, but also makes them wonder why they are are working so hard. These things matter. You cannot be a leader if you are perceived to be engaging in Busy Work. i.e. It is noted mentally if not verbally, that there is a Passenger on board.
What else does the Passenger Manager do? They are the ones that sit in front of a screen most of the day, but nobody knows what it is they are looking at. They are the ones that seldom type, but just engage in the odd key stroke. They have a title, but don't appear to be doing anything associated with that title. They tend to hire others to carry out the heavy lifting, with them simply directing the work. This often tends to result in them annoying all around, because they are usually the most overbearing of people. That is because they generally aren't doing much else.
What to look out for:
The person that likes to give themselves a title but then proceeds to hire somebody else to do the work associated with that title
The Passenger Manager likes to engage in Busy Work, as in anything that does not involve doing work that is too taxing, such as opening the mail.
They often ask questions of everyone to sound busy eventhough the questions tend to demonstrate that they are not doing things that should be associated with their title.
A Passenger Manager loves to direct the work. They don't do a whole lot of the tough stuff themselves, but love to tell everyone else how to do their jobs. They are the typical overbearing boss that always seems to have time to interfere with everyone else's day, but has no obvious tasks of their own to carry out.
The Passenger appears to others within the Company as more of a Consultant than the title they are associated with. This is certainly true in that the Passenger can often be arrogant enough to consider themselves to be more of a Consultant than an employee and act accordingly. This means that they see their role as more of an overseer than anything else. Hence, the directing of work rather than engaing in any.
Passenger Managers can be, and often are bullies as well as tyrants. The reason why some get away with being a passenger for long periods of time, is that they use their position of power to engage in tyrannyy; as if that is part and parcel of being a manager. They bully as a component of the "Direction of Work". This is all designed to deflect from them not making a contribution of any real value to organization. It allows the passenger to continue to act in the Consultancy role that they try to convey as being so important to the business; so too is it a method of trying to convey authority. Not just authority of position, but authority of knowledge, which may or may not (and is quite often not) be true.
If the Passenger Manager is a bully, it needs to be pointed out this this person can often be very lacking in knowledge and talent in relation to their job title. This something that needs to be looked out for. A strong combination of the above mentioned traits is a good indicator that the Passenger is not as knowledgeable that they pretend to be. Pretend is the correct word to use here, because being a tyrant can be a cover up for them not being skilled or competent in the area that they are claiming to be expert in.
Why Is It Important To Recognize The Passenger Manager?
This is a person that is likely to be a high wage earner. This is someone that the organization has trusted with a position of authority and has been hired for their supposed skills and knowledge. If they are not engaging in meaningful work but are drawing down a large salary, then they are merely a drain on financial resources.
A Passenger Manager that is an employee but only acting as more of a Consultant, can be extremely damaging to a business. Others notice this, and it can act as a very serious disincentive to them. Employees do not want to see a person in authority drawing a large salary, but merely directing work and behaving as a Consultant would. This is not good for the business as a whole.
Managers who are also Passengers tend to be bullies and tyrants. This is a tool that Passengers use to keep on being Passenger's. A Passenger has to justify their position. As they do little of real value, they engage in bullying. And, if they are ever called out on it, refer to it Management or Supervision. This again is extremely destructive to the organization and company morale. This is what allows this kind of behavior to continue. A Passenger Manager who is also a tyrant, has had practice doing this. They are good at being a bully, because they have spent a lot of time doing it, and very little time doing anything constructive or of value to the business. A Passenger always wants others to do the work. Arrogance can make them believe that they always know how to direct it better, so bully and cajole as part of the Direction of work.
Employee churn can be a factor associated with the Passenger Manager. In a good economy, the best people don't put up with it. They move on, which is damaging to the organization. In a bad economy however, you get a different situation. The good people stay but are demoralized, stressed, drained; so too hate being there. None of this is good for the individual or the Company.
Morale and Work suffer terribly under the Passenger Manager. For all of the above mentioned reasons, there can be and are serious knock on effects to the Passenger Manager. It can tend to snowball. One thing leads to another, especially if there is bullying involved. It cannot be stated more strongly, especially in smaller organizations just how damaging a Passenger Manager can be. Morale suffers. Good people leave, there can be law suits in relation to bullying. Health, and especially mental health can suffer, with this resulting in work suffering. It costs the business money in terms of a wasted salary, as well as in relation to underperformance. Both staff and the company suffer, with both potentially becoming seriously damaged.
How To Deal with The Passenger Manager?
This is the hart part. Employment law differs in various jurisdictions, and there may also be contractual obligations in relation to these management positions. Still, if a Passenger Manager is allowed to continue in their role, even after the most senior management has discovered it, then this can be very damaging to the company and the business it undertakes. There needs to be an awareness of this person and there also needs to be a concerted effort to handle them and deal with it.
Passengers get away with being so because:
a) They are not discovered by the most senior management because of the various tactics they use such as throwing their weight around and calling it Directing the Work, Managing, Supervision etc. Some consider this a good thing, while failing to scratch beneath the surface to see if there is any substance to the person doing it. They do not investigate to see if they are engaging in real meaningful work in relation to their job title. This is a huge mistake. To equate bullying and tyranny with management is an enormous error for any company to make.
b) The Passenger Manager may also be noticed, but senior management would prefer not to rock the boat. Brushing it under the carpet is a way for some to ignore problems that may be obvious. It can often be easier for senior management to allow the behaviour to continue, because they don't want to admit that they made an error in the hiring of the person involved. This is a strong reason why Passengers are not dealt with. By dealing with it, senior management might feel that it would reflect badly on their management skills.. Therefore they do nothing; so too, allow it to continue. As as a consequence, this can be very damaging for their business.
The Passenger Manager can be, and is destructive for both staff as well as the organization as a whole. They need to be recognised, and when they are, they should be dealt with, rather than ignored. Failure to do so, can have terrible consequences for individuals and the company.
Robert E. Kearns 2017