I just read another article on performance management by someone who identifies herself as an executive coach and HR authority. Out of curiosity, I looked her up. No actual HR experience. Her background was in admissions and alumni relations, with a degree in organizational development. Close enough to sound credible, but not the same as actually doing the work.
I’m not against formal education. I’ve got plenty of it myself. But I get frustrated when people present themselves as experts in areas they’ve never really practiced. Writing well isn’t the same as giving solid advice. Some of the hardest managers I’ve worked with were the ones who could rattle off every leadership book they’d ever read, but couldn’t actually lead a team.
These days, there’s a lot of content floating around from “executive coaches” and “thought leaders” with shiny branding and polished posts. The problem is that a lot of it comes from people who’ve never had to sit across from an employee during a difficult conversation, navigate a tricky policy issue, or manage team dynamics when things get messy. They’re often selling something, followers, a course, or an advertisement, and it shows.
If you’re a new manager or learning as you go, it’s not always easy to tell what advice is actually useful and what sounds convincing. The truth is, some of it appears legitimate but doesn’t hold up in real-life situations. I’ve seen people with the best intentions make things worse — they lose trust with their team, create confusion, or even run into legal trouble — all because they followed advice that looked good online but wasn’t grounded in actual experience.
So here’s what I’d say: question it. Look at who’s giving the advice. Have they actually done this kind of work, or are they just talking about it? Leadership theories are easy to repeat, but they don’t mean much if they don’t work when real people and real problems are involved.
Not all advice is equal. Choose wisely.
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