The Peter Principle Revisited: What it means to you and me

Copyright ©2013. Tay Thain Lin. All rights reserved.

THE

PETER

PRINCIPLE

What it meansto you and me

Tay Thain Lin 19.09.2013


THE

PETER

PRINCIPLE

A 1969 book by

Dr Lawrence J Peter &

Raymond Hull


What is thePeter

Principle?


“Employees tend to rise to their level of

incompetence.”

Employees tend to be

given increasing

authority until they cannot continue to

work competently.


The principle holds that in a

hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they

work competently.


Eventually they are

promoted to a position at

which they are no longer

competent…

…And there they remain, being unable

to earn further promotions.


“In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee

who is incompetent

to carry out its duties.”

“Work is accomplished

by those employees

who have not yet reached their level of

incompetence.”


?!


INCOMPETENCE

is a very strong word

Peter Principle:

Is it true or just an

amusing explanation of

human behaviour?


“For promoted individuals, the expected ability falls from period to period.”

Prof. Edward Lazear

A+E(1|A+1A*)A+E(2|A+1A*)


Peter Principle is a generalized principle. It is not a law or

management theory.

But it holds important

lessons for us.


Time to take stock, reflect and take a

long hard look at ourselves.


So, let’s talk about

promotion.


0

How do people get

promoted in our Firm?


What we look for:

Execution.Energy.

Make HardDecisions.

Attitude. Passion.


But sometimes we

promote a person when he/she is not

quite “ready”…

…To give him/her

time to grow into the new

role.


Why were you promoted?

Why are you at where you are today?


!Beware of thePeter Principlewhen things

become routine and cosy.


How do you avoid the

Peter Principle?

Half full?

Half empty?


3 Steps ToA Better

Manager*

*i.e. all of us here


#1Understand

your role as a manager/lead

er


What does a manager do?

“Managers must manage.”

Harold Geneen

Study

Counsel subordinates

Coach

Mentor colleagues

Develop practiceManage key accounts

Build relationships

Network

Socialize

Analyse performance

Strategize

Implement changeCommunicate

Research

Evaluate information

Negotiate

Plan resources

Make difficult decisions

Manage conflictsArbitrate

Give talks

Foster 7Ps values

Perform admin tasks

Develop talent

Write articles

Create pipelines

Interview and hire

Plan for successionPrepare budget

Do work.Supervise

staff.Manage clients.

Hit budget.

…And don’t complain.


The hard truth:

Managing and leading may not be our

natural attribute.


We can attend management courses and be trained.

The key is practice.


#2Determine

whatto do or change.


How can you be a better manager today?

Surely, you have to change

something.


Are you busy?

It’s unthinkable not to be

busy.


We have the

BU5YVirus!


Kill the “BU5Y Virus” in you, and look at

better way of doing things.

70-20-10 Rule

15% Rule

90/10 Rule


Your Time

How to manage your career

with Google’s 70/20/10 Rule

70% of time onyour core competency/work

20% of time onwork related projects

10% of time onlearning new ideas & innovating


“Put the end in mind.”

Stephen R Covey

“Be demanding of yourself and your boss.”

Dina Dublon


#3Just do it.

http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=pF3UY83Zp0QboM&tbnid=Y0j-blp6n-tZtM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://mytopfbcover.com/download-facebook-timeline-cover-nike-swoosh&ei=BGMUUsTKLIOMrQeq04HYCQ&bvm=bv.50952593,d.dGI&psig=AFQjCNH5qZesTXFeVpMjWt_iyxMBbO8_jg&ust=1377154137428719


“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. Things will never stay the same.”

David Brandon


Doing “nothing”is not a solution.


Find time to do the “First things first”:

Important but non- urgent

tasks.

Prioritise.Delegate.Empower.


In conclusion…

It’s all about choice.


Beware of Peter

and the sow*

The only person that

you should try to be better than is the person you

wereYESTERDAY.

*same old way


Thank you.

The Peter Principle Revisited: What it means to you and me

Education

tay thain lin

rule copyright

managerleader copyright

harold geneen copyright

dina dublon copyright

david brandon copyright

generalized principle

strong word peter principle