Are you a leader or a manipulator? Boom!
Now that I have your attention, ask yourself this question: “Am I leading to be an influence to my people and my organization?” Dig deep and be honest. Ask yourself whether you are in your position because you aspired to be the leader who you wanted when you were a firefighter or because you are a narcissistic egomaniac who abuses your position to manipulate others as if they are marionettes and you are their puppeteer? The latter type of leader has the power to turn employees against an organization’s core principles. These leaders can be challenging to identify. They appear very professional in the open but behind the scenes they bash leadership and they gossip about others to simply spread hate and discontent. This makes it easy for them to gain blind followers.
Unfortunately, this type of leader—the marionette manager—can exist in any establishment. In a fire department, these leaders can include chief officers, company officers, and, particularly, the training officer.
- Dave McGlynn will present “Passion in Leading: Motivational Professional Development” at Firehouse Expo 2023.
The marionette manager who holds one of these ranks is able to influence firefighters based on rank alone. Young, impressionable firefighters who haven’t had the experience to compare right and wrong might assume that they must adhere to and at times emulate the attitude of this type of leader.
Marionette managers truly exemplify the expression “misery loves company” and use their position as a way of recruiting others to fall into the same level of misery that they have. They go behind the scenes to stir the pot, to rally their people to challenge leadership, then sit back quietly and watch their secret recipe for disaster unfold.
Undermine through training
Sadly, there are people who are in a leadership position who don’t want to train anymore or, because they were passed up for a promotion to training officer and now resent the training officer, encourage others to not take the training officer seriously. Moreover, they convince their people to not take training seriously, which, of course, can be detrimental to operational skill set.
Long term, these things make a firefighter reluctant to follow department guidelines, which will permeate the organization and erode morale. Marionette managers harvest disconnected firefighters and build a level of insubordination that casts a shadow over the organization’s welfare. Members might not perform at the level that’s needed because they are disgruntled. The ones who want to be there for the right reasons might want to leave. The fire service is a large network but a small world; word will spread that the culture at that organization is toxic, and people won’t apply to be a part of it.
Characteristics of marionette leaders
Marionette managers’ devious and selfish intent is to attempt to have their employees possess the same attitude. Why do these people invest all of that time to create puppets, pull their strings and intentionally hurt the organization? The answer can lie in psychological considerations. For example, these people might suffer from feelings of inadequacy, and they want others to feel as miserable as they do, to not feel so alone.
They might enjoy the feeling of control over others and the circumstances that surround them.
They might want to just see the world burn. Success means nothing to them without seeing their people feeling dissatisfied with morale-building and/or team-building functions and being destructive to the organization’s principles. Everything is a problem to marionette managers, and the only way to solve it is by adding more issues.
As Einstein warned us, “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”
Blind followers and minions
To better paint a picture of marionette managers, I must explain why I still refer to them as leaders.
Even though they lead the wrong way, they still have a following (through negativity). Followers of this type of leader are what could be described as blind followers who, unfortunately, become nothing more than minions.
It’s worth noting that being a blind follower isn’t entirely the fault of that individual. The manipulative ability that marionette managers possess makes these firefighters become minions.
These leaders put their followers up against the organization’s purpose and vision, which makes the followers very destructive. The followers become impossible to contain, and, sometimes, the only solution is to sack them, which makes them hate the organization more. This then develops a frame of reference for the remaining blind followers, to fuel their created negative perception of the organization and its leadership.
With all of the above in mind, ask yourself, “Who within my own organization is a marionette manager?” More importantly, ensure that you aren’t one yourself.
Exposing them
These leaders are very cunning, which means that exposing them requires one to be more diligent than they are.
Look at the individuals who employees interact with the most. Very often, those individuals will be genuine leaders who want the best for the organization, so be careful not to jump to a negative conclusion.
Ask rebellious employees how they see the organization and what they value about it and about themselves. (It’s important to truly listen to gain the much needed information to make your organization better.) At the same time, they might reference a leader who agrees with the issue(s) that they have with the organization. This might assist in exposing the root cause of an issue.
If you find a leader who is creating a negative perception for members, it’s imperative to the welfare of your organization that you confront that leader. Yes, hear that person out but also explain the negative effect that the individual has on the efficiency and safety of the organization. If met with resistance or if the issue(s) persists, sadly, a harsh option might be required: expose them to the public to allow the membership to avoid them. That said, be mindful that you then must step up your game on being a positive influence and ensuring a fun and safe environment that warrants better results, an environment that your people are proud to be a part of.
Real leaders
Real leaders always are out front, inspiring people and making them better versions of themselves. Real leaders stand with their people and showcase their organization.
Yes, the characteristics of real leaders are similar to marionette managers, but the key difference is that real leaders’ influence is positive, not negative, and they don’t have a double-sided persona.
Real leaders want to build something and have a purpose within the organization. In “Pinocchio,” Geppetto is an older woodcarver who always wants to create something special. As a result, he builds Pinocchio. Real leaders are like Geppetto, because they desire to build something positive that will last. They mentor, and they leave a good legacy, because they are remembered for their nurturing.
