From research: Real cost of an “ideal manager”

What is the real cost of an “ideal manager”? Managers often create an ideal of how capable they should be, aspiring to an image of the “ideal manager.” This ideal, rooted in unspoken rules and taboos, can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and self-doubt when they fall short. Falling short of the ideal, rarely acknowledged openly, can trigger feelings of guilt, shame, self-doubt and more. In a paper published by dr. S. HÁŠA and dr. P. HOUDEK (associate professor) in The International Journal of Management Education, this paper explores and identifies managerial taboos.

The authors argue that this identity conflict, between a manager’s real identity and the idealized image, has adverse outcomes that include reduced productivity or compromised mental & physical health. The paper further finds that this definition of a “ideal manager” is facilitated by management education, training and learning, such as idealized management skills taught in business schools or popular literature. The authors recommend transformation of management education to confront these managerial taboos, suggesting integrating discussions of managerial taboos to foster resilience, as major positive change occurs when a taboo is named.

Read further about conceptualizing these seldom-discussed managerial taboos and high stakeholders’ expectations to learn what is necessary to improve mangers’ overall well-being: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472811724000636