Giving Advice to Your Boss

For good or for ill, Adam Grant’s reflections on management are worth considering.

Grant wrote a column regarding how people can tell Joe Biden that for the good of the country and the good of the party he should drop out of the presidential race.

Grant discerns that Biden is so small minded that he does not listen to other people. He does not seek their counsel and follows his gut. Perhaps he also follows the bad advice offered by his wife, but Grant does not consider the point.

A manager who does not listen to staff and who does not allow others to express contrary opinions or to offer up information that would undermine policy is not going to be a very good manager.

Without stretching things too far we can see from the Grant summary that Joe Biden is incompetent as a manager.

They entered with courage and exited as cowards. In the past two weeks, several leaders have told me they arrived at meetings with President Biden planning to have serious discussions about whether he should withdraw from the 2024 election. They all chickened out.

One notes the rumor that has been flying through the media, namely that the decider in this case has been Jill Biden. Being eminently whipped, Joe Biden will not contradict his wife.

A manager who wants to hear alternative points of view must be clear about it. People read cues in their interlocutors. If they see or sense that a contrary opinion is unwelcome they will stifle themselves.

Grant postulates that Biden has made it clear to everyone around him that he does not want to hear a contrary opinion. Biden did suggest that he would heed the word of God, but the statement was grandiose and empty.

Mr. Biden has done the opposite, declaring first that only the Lord almighty could change his mind and then saying that he’ll drop out only if polls say there’s no way for him to win. That sends a strong message: If you’re not an immortal being or a time traveler from the future, it’s pointless to share any concerns about the viability of his candidacy.

Evidently, Biden lacks humility. He also lacks character, among other moral qualities. Grant suggests that a competent manager will invite dissent. Or better, will invite differences of opinion. He can do so by asking staff what they think. When others see the way that he reacts they will conclude that different opinions are or are not welcome:

But a little humility could go a long way: “I believe I’m the best qualified to govern, but I don’t know for sure. I think I can win, but I might be wrong.” Along with inviting dissent, these acts of receptiveness might make Mr. Biden more persuasive. People put more faith in a balanced argument and a leader who wants to learn.

Grant suggests that it is not enough to ask for opinions. A manager or even a leader must show that he respects them.

Now, Grant, in a less than coherent sentence, suggests that people close to the president have figured out that he does not want to hear any advice about dropping out.

Over the past week, I’ve raised these ideas with several leaders close to the president who reached out for advice. They’ve each made it clear that they’re afraid to put their relationship on the line and they don’t think Mr. Biden will listen to them. I’ve reminded them that they’re lucky to have a president who doesn’t punish dissenters with an indefinite prison sentence or a trial for treason. 

Grant’s glib repartee is not very helpful. So he adds that if staff wants to get through to the president, they should tell him that withdrawing is an opportunity not a loss.

No one will get anywhere by insisting that the president is too old or demanding that he quit. A more compelling message would position the possibility of withdrawing as an opportunity, not a failure. And it would be delivered with humility. It might go like this:

You could be hailed as a hero like George Washington for choosing not to seek another term. Regardless of the result, you could make history through your selfless stewardship of the next generation. Personally, I don’t know if that’s the right decision. I just want to make sure it gets due consideration. Would you be open to hosting a meeting to hear the dissenting views?”

Washington went out when he was on top. He did not leave because he believed he could not win an election. He did not go out because he was suffering from dementia.

Appealing to Biden’s selflessness might be considered a cheap trick. It would be like telling him that he is not really a loser, but a hero. It feels like a cheap trick, so cheap that it has certainly already been tried.

Finally, Grant offers a paean for honesty. He prefers honesty to loyalty. Of course, if honesty means shooting your mouth off, disrupting proceedings and believing so fervently in your ideas that you compromise loyalty, the appeal to honesty is going to be cold comfort. 

In dysfunctional groups, people favor loyalty over honesty. In healthy groups, honesty is an act of loyalty. There’s a reason Americans pledge allegiance not to people or power, but to principles. When we express unconditional support for a leader, we compromise our integrity.

No one expects blind support for a leader. But, the staff member whose ideas have been rejected will still, because of his loyalty, do his best to implement the policy that has been chosen. It is not so much about encouraging dissent but in making clear that dissent is not disloyalty. As happens with relationships, it is also true that one ought not rationalize obnoxious and useless chatter by claiming it to be honest.

Please subscribe to my Substack, for free or preferably for a fee.