Three Nightmare Traits in Leaders

Nightmare Careers

What should organizations do when faced with a TNT leader? And are there ways to prevent TNT leaders from rising through the ranks? In the following, I'll use an extended version of the ASA model of, including six (instead of Schneider's three) career phases, i.e., attraction, selection, socialization, production, promotion, and attrition, to describe possible actions organizations can take to prevent TNT applicants for leadership positions to become – in the end – TNT CEOs. Following, attraction is the phase in which recruitment efforts take place, selection the phase in which a candidate is chosen from the available applicant pool, socialization the phase in which a new leader formally and informally gets to know his/her team and organization, production the phase in which a leader performs in his/her job, promotion the phase in which a leader qualifies for an even higher-level position, and attrition the phase in which a contract is (voluntarily or involuntarily) terminated. In Table 1, an overview is offered of the TNTs, in what situations these traits are activated, what possible negative outcomes are associated with the TNTs, and what organizations can do to prevent situation, trait, and outcome activation of these traits among leaders.

Table 1. Implications of the TNT for attraction, selection, socialization, production, promotion, and attrition in organizations.