Twelve Ways to Spot Fools
The ability to identify and deal with fools protects leaders and organizations.
Foolishness has nothing to do with intelligence or talent. Smart, gifted people are prime candidates for foolishness.
Twelve ways to spot fools:
- Believe they are right.
- Hate accountability and practical strategies.
- Love blaming and reject responsibility.
- Pursue personal ease rather than challenge.
- Expect you to adapt to them.
- Reject instruction.
- Can’t see their foolishness.
- Express frustrations quickly and openly.
- Gossip and cut down privately while complimenting publicly.
- Act confidently.
- Enjoy talking.
- Despise listening.
Bonus: Fools don’t seek help, but the wise love and seek wisdom. Fools seek their own way because others are wrong and they are right.
Dealing with fools:
Stop talking:
Fools reject responsibility. Stop talking, once you realize you’re dealing with a fool. Talking doesn’t help. They love talking and are usually good at it. Talking drags you into the fool’s world.
Set limits:
Say, “You haven’t delivered agreed upon results. When I bring it up, all I hear are excuses and blaming. You don’t take responsibility. I’m giving this project to Mary.”
They’ll be angry and blame you, but don’t back down. You become the problem when you hold their feet to the fire. Fools despise you when you correct them. They feel you don’t understand.
Set limits for their good and the organization’s. Talking won’t help; limits might.
Establish consequences:
- Reassignments.
- Remove responsibilities and opportunities.
- Demotion.
- Termination.
Fools undermine your leadership, destroy morale, and reject feedback. Deal quickly and firmly with fools, regardless of their talent.
Not fools:
Work with people who receive instruction and adapt behaviors. Express patience. Help them succeed. But, those who reject instruction, limits, and consequences are fools, reject them.
How do you deal with foolishness in yourself?
How can leaders deal with fools?
What happens when the fool is your boss?
Find a graceful way to transfer. Find contentment where you are. Build relationships with other leaders in your organization. Don’t complain about your boss to the higher ups. Don’t expect them to change. If necessary, move on.
The transfer is not so easy. Building relationships with other leaders is a good way but one needs patience to make them realize the shortcomings of your boss and your getting the right recognition. There is no harm in complaining and finding an alternate way of working in the same environment. Keep a distance from the boss and continue your good working. The higher-ups take time to realize what you alone say but gradually realize the impact of a bad boss with a work environment or results.
I blame the management if they ignore any complaints of responsible professionals. Moving out is yet another option rather than working with compromises!
Life is too short… time to spiff up the resume and get the bots out looking for a different place to share your passion.
Exactly, “Life is too short …” … just move on to find something that makes you happy
Andy, why do you want to work for a fool? I would be finding another place rather then stay there.
I’ve read a number of responses and one point that has been mentioned a number of times is that a person doesn’t recognize their own foolishness. I believe, from Andy’s standpoint, an individual who is calling their boss a fool needs to carefully examine their own self first. Having been in a number of jobs with increasing responsibility, it has been easy to see my boss as being a fool. However, when rising to their position, I discover that my boss’ sphere of responsibility is much larger and that there are a number of implications that my subordinates do not recognize. If Andy has considered this possibility, recognized his boss’ larger scope, and still finds foolishness in his boss then his assessment is likely correct. In a nutshell, we need to respect the fact that there are certain reasonable nuances about our bosses that we need to accept and work with.
I am in this same situation. This is the best article that I’ve read on the subject:
http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2011/06/dealing-with-your-incompetent.html
It highlights a lot of the points mentioned by others. My favorite points are ‘Make it about you, not your boss’ and ‘Lead up’. As hard as it has been, I have never complained about my boss to other leaders. Rather, I have taken initiative and responsibility to get things done on my own. This has been a good learning and growing experience, but I’ve ultimately decided to leave. The positives of having a foolish boss: you’ll look like a superstar for working hard and other leaders will start to notice. The negatives: lack of challenge and mentorship, it’s very difficult to stretch beyond your own capabilities, capable team members will end up leaving. My advice: work hard, get some great references, learn what not to do when you’re in a leadership position, then get out of there!
These posts seem to imply that it is bosses that are foolish. I have been in workplaces where working with the boss would be just fine! I see fools and untrustworthy incompetents cutting the boss down behind their back. I leave these situations as they become so complicated it is impossible to work through them.
You forget to mention that a fool will undermine others to get ahead. They are fools because what ever goes around comes around. The same people as they rise through the system then need to surround themselves with a little bunch of protective comrades. They fear others will do to them what they have done to get where they are.
Not all fools are bosses, Jo
This is a great post! It’s easy for me to identify these traits in my coworkers– the harder thing is examining my own daily behavior and recognizing some of them in myself! Each of these traps is easy to fall into and some of them are simply perversions of great leadership traits. Caution to the leader tempted to take the easy route or be sucked into the mediocrity of the fools on his or her team!
I see them in myself as well. I think that willingness to see them gives us hope. We can’t fix what we won’t see/acknowledge. Thanks for being a regular contributor. Cheers
Leaders deal with fools by using patience and discernment. Patience that they will see the light and begin to add value to the team, organization and themselves.
Discernment is for when you can see for certain that this is not, and likely will never be the case. It is hard to let go of people, but sometimes we must. Find something better suited or have them move on with constructive criticism, which they probably will not hear.
I think patterns of rejecting feedback and excuse making are the tell-tale sign that harsher measures are necessary. If harsher measures work, you’ve helped. If harsher measures don’t work…then even harsher measures are in order.
Cheers
Quite right Martina. We have to move the people, or we have to move the people.
I’ve found the biggest piece of this in dealing with those who refuse to hold themselves accountable, but absolutely hold firm to holding others accountable.
You cannot be a leader, be in a strategic leadership position, and have that type of dichotomy of character.
I’ve seen a lot of blaming and excuse making in the leadership world. Done plenty of it myself. You are nailing it. Leaders take responsibility. I love when I see that. Recently I met with a leader who said, “I don’t want to let my team down.” Don’t you love hearing that?
We are a young team with great, but young team leaders. Thus, this article has been very, very helpful in our own development but also in dealing with current (and coming) “fools”. Even though, we stand behind our people and their talent, it was not a good decision to put too much emphasis on it and the mistake cost us a lot. However, the suggested approach works great for the ”fool’s” progress and ”growing up” process so in our case we get to keep the poor soul on with constant improvement. 🙂 Thank you!
Whoa Dan, first of all I misrepresented something. Thought my starting point was 2 and it was actually 0. Ended April with an 8400% increase since I got here. Sorry for saying I was somewhere around 4000%. OOpppsie! Hate when that happens!
Now for me # 1 way wrong. What if you are right, what are you supposed to do think you are wrong? Now when you realize you are wrong, promtly admit it and move on(AA stuff again)
#4. You betcha I am working towards ease, THAT is exactly why I worked 70 hours last week. I am not working for more challenge, duh! I am working to Flourish in every area of my life and take it easy till the dirt nap!
# 8 When should frustrations be shared? After they are kept till they turn into burning resentments(our number one offender AA Big Book) Deal with a problem RIGHT NOW and lets get back to making something happen in the productive column NOW!!!!!!
#10. Act confidently, YOU BET! I just finished a month with 8400% growth in the branch I am Flourishing! How am I supposed to feel, defeated????? Wowie!!!!!!! Of course I act confidently as I march to my goals. What success book has ever said do not act confidently?
Arrogantly, Nope, do not act that way but confidently 1000% If you do not believe in you and what you got to help people who will? I am 1000% bulletproof in my belief of what I am sharing with people. They will receive more benefit than they give me for serving them, 1000%. Now May 1 starts so I can feel good for a second, then back to WORK!
# 11 I love talking! Seems what I am saying is working. If that makes me a fool, so be it! A Successful Fool, maybe that will be the title of my book. I actually would rather have everything I been saying on video cause more folks could see and hear it but still working on that. I LOVE people and I love talking with them and finding out what they need me to do to earn their trust and serve them like they have never been served. Talking seems to be the best tool I got so far so I am just gonna keep sharpening it and using it every chance I get.
All the other stuff, pretty pretty pretty good!
Ok OFF TO FLOURISH!!!!!!!!!!! April done and gone now time to FLOURISH in MAY to greater results!!!!!!!!!!!
Take care Dan, have a good one.
SP OUT!
Usually fools exhibit over 50% to all of the traits listed. Being introspective and aware when we personally exhibit multiples of these traits, especially 1,5,6,7,11, & 12, are counter-productive to any one trait exhibited in a successful individual such as 4 & 10. The point of this article is that we, as leaders, need to spot the “fools” and deal with them or they become anchors to our organizational growth.
Wonder if their anchorness is exponential to the organization? Forming mini-black holes that suck the life out of the organization.
Isn’t this information from Henry Cloud’s Necessary Endings book? If not – amazingly similar! If so – wow – where’s the credit?
Hi Millie…actually I just brought up the book of Proverbs this morning and did a quick search of the term fool. It was pretty enlightening. Perhaps that’s what Henry did too. I read, “Boundaries for Leaders” but haven’t completed “Necessary Endings” yet. Although, I love the title. Thanks
Your post is spot-on again Dan, thank you.
Your question is intriguing:
“How do you deal with foolishness in yourself?”
When, as you said yourself:
(Fools) “Can’t see their foolishness.”
I guess we’re all fools at times, the best of us included.
However, true leaders reflect on their actions and behaviours, and therefore oft times will see where they went wrong (behaved like a fool) and do what they can to put it right.
I think there is a difference between doing things that fools do and actually being a fool. Everyone screws up. The difference between acting like a fool and being a fool is the willingness to acknowledge error and take corrective action. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. 🙂
Dan, I believe foolish behaviour begets foolish action. Therefore, during this foolishness, being a fool. Reminds me of Mahatma Ghandi “Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny. ” This can (and does) work positively and negatively.
I absolutely agree with you that the difference is the willingness to acknowledge and take corrective action, as I said above.
It’s difficult for me to recognize my own foolishnees, but when I finally do it hits me like a ton of bricks. Once I finally have that revelation I’m embarassed, but I buckle down, ask questions, learn what I need to know, and try to avoid making that mistake again. What else can I do? (not a rhetorical question)
I like what Bob Sutton says, think that you could be wrong. I forget exactly how he says it but his idea is have enough confidence to make decisions and enough humility to think that you could be wrong. It’s one of those easy to say and hard to do things.
Best wishes on the journey
Dan, how do you deal with the realization that many of your family members are fools? Also, how do you deal with them in general?
Wow Vincent that’s a hard one to deal with.
Family members aren’t usually appreciative of having their shortcomings pointed out, or receptive to any kind of “coaching”. The thing is, they’re your family, so you love them unconditionally. Practically, you can find a way to place more of your attention on their good points, in fact actively look for as many good things about them as you can find, so that if possible these will outweigh what you see as their foolish aspects.
In a professional context you would respect people’s strengths and make allowances for their weaknesses. Could you do the same in this family context?
You’re right, when it comes to family these sorts of things get 1000 times more complicated. Focusing on the good points is a good thing to do, but what happens when it’s hard to find these good points? Many of the good points have ulterior motives or compensation, so I don’t know about that.
That’s an interesting question you raise there. I have no idea. A professional setting is easier to handle mentally when it comes to this topic. Hm…
I read a wonderful little book on this subject called, “Diagnosis and Treatment of Fools”, by Virgil Stokes it really helped me a lot in dealing with those people not just in work relationships but in every context. Great post today, Dan. Thank you.
Don’t we all succumb to some (or all) of these “foolish ways” at various times and to varying degrees during our careers? (I know I do.)
The distinction with a leader is that you have to have enough self-awareness to stop yourself before you sink all the way from foolishness to absurdity. Leaders have to have the courage to sound the foolishness alarm when they see people demontrating these foolish ways, and discuss their folly with them in as supportive a way as possible.
Wow Dan! You have done it again, you described my former boss
How would you deal with a fool who is at the top of the organization?
Find a different mountain to climb….
Dear Dan,
An interesting & useful post. Fools, once identified, need to be dealt in a tactful way. Talk to them straight, point out their unacceptable work, attitude or behavior and warn them in writing for the desired changes. 2-3 reminders and finally act tough to show them the exit. Successful leaders usually carry the team of deliverables and who get molded based on the organization’s needs.
In contemplating the previous posts – lets not forget iron sharpens iron & foolishness/foolish traits infects everyone involved. Excuses & blaming go hand in hand; once it starts it is difficult to put the brakes on it. If you know this is the habit of the person going into it – the only solution to stop excuses & blaming is to ask questions – how could this have been done differently vs. why didn’t you ……… My greatest concern is not to let the foolish traits rub off on me AND to recognize when I am doing it myself.
Great post and useful wisdom. The only situation that still bothers me is when the Leader is the Fool (especially when (s)he displays all 12 of the symptoms). I think Samuel had the best response, when he decided to head up to Ramah.
So when you think you are looking through a window and seeing others being foolish, remember it just might also be a mirror. Kind of the upside/downside of Dan’s blog…2×4 insight….or as Pogo once tomed…”we has met the enemy and he is us!”
Soo, when you are looking through that elucidating window of wisdom at all those others being foolish, know that it might just be a mirror you are looking at. Kind of the upside/down of learnings from Dan’s blog…2 x 4 insight smarts, like it or not…or as Pogo once tomed, “We have met the enemy and he is us!”
Wow, this is a lively one 🙂
What happens in a situation where the foolish one is the
leader and have the ears of the CEO? Or you are working on a
project with the fool. And he seem to undermine progress, yet he
seems to get approval of the authority? How could one deal with
this situation? I need your answer, please. Mansur
Reminds me of the Albert Einstein quote: Great spirits encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.
To steal Dan’s thunder… Ka-ching!
The book of Proverbs provides keen insight and clarity to the problem of foolishness. It begins in childhood and becomes progressively hardened in those that refuse or reject correction at an early age. Sadly the fool eventually reaps the harvest of their folly and those associated with them may suffer as well. “Perhaps as much as anything else, the term fool is descriptive of an attitude, bent of mind, or direction in life which needs correcting.” Marvin R. Wilson
Isn’t it a wish to deal with an army of robots “molded
based on the organization’s needs”, who will tolerate your being a
“fool” yourself? Without these “fools” we would have never gone
far. “Stay hungry, stay foolish”. (c) Steve Jobs
Just realized how foolish i am
I found myself all qualities of fool what should I do.
Thanks Aman. I think leaving your comment is a good step. Keep going. 🙂
Same here😂
But not sure if I’m a fool😂
Give a fool a little distance and watch him talking plenty of talks about you to his companions…But let your hearts remain pure and don’t think evil about him, and that will make you more wiser and smarter than he think he does…Bible reading helps you stay positive with your thoughts cause a fool don’t read bible
That was amazing answers i ever read it and i really like it. Except i did doubt the reality as always before.
I’m just being a Foolishness as individual and already being a member of Agnostic individual.
But, Being a foolishness is good to keep slowly learning and seeking more answers on Google website lately.. You are best wise individual on the website lately..
Its not enough to say fools reject instructions. You better say fools reject correct instructions.
I’ve learned a lot from this, and have seen a lot of foolishness inside of me; but I’ve decided to call it for what it is, foolish and childish behavior. Now I’m Constantly on the lookout, listening rather than talking so much. I Want to Grow and Mature the way GOD HAS INTENDED!
Is this, An “wisdom website?”
If true..
Traits of Good judge may against fool weakness.
But, those foolish public will bring “Evil gossip” upon themselves for a private chat.
“i don’t know more about my inner weakness.”
What if foolish human people will hate and hiding a truth from being shown in other public?
“Is it true about foolish humanity weakness?”
Then test my inner weakness from Canada NorthWest Territories if that your challenges.
“If you resist new challenges.”
Then the future may change later while remain hidden.
“What if foolish human do have a hard time challenges around upon themselves for being a member of the Youtuber?”
i like my self challenges.
i will give up easily for having a “hard time Challenges in work career.”
Because self challenges will improve to my social skills.
“Those depression Emotional (Color Blue) is being stubborn?”
If i Correct.