Who is a back-seat driver…

As per the definition, a  backseat driver is a passenger in a vehicle who is not controlling the vehicle but who excessively comments on the driver’s actions and decisions in an attempt to control the vehicle.

What does he/she do…

A backseat driver may be uncomfortable with the skills of the driver, feel out of control since they are not driving the vehicle, or want to tutor the driver while they are at the wheel. Many comment on the speed of the vehicle, or give alternative directions.

Why does he/she do it

Some backseat drivers exhibit this type of behaviour simply because they feel the driver is taking risks they would not normally take, while others may have other reasons to be nervous, such as when the driver has a poor driving record. However, the practice is somewhat dangerous and instead more likely to cause crashes

 Now, doesn’t all of this sound familiar in the corporate world? Except that a poor employee record may not qualify as the most plausible reason for the back-seat driving!

Then, why does a front-end .. high track,..performance oriented… result driven individual throughout his early career, suddenly on becoming a leader,..get into ‘Back-seat’ Leadership driving!!!

Leadership is all about the feeling of Power, and unfortunately, those who seek Power, seek control! And in the quest to seek control, the means to seek it become far less important than the aspect of control, itself, and so comes the back-seat leader, intoxicated with the dopamine addictive nature of ‘control’, itself!

The issue here is not about the power associated with Leadership but the ideology that ‘Power needs to be commanded and not demanded’!

Leadership is about influence and not control!!! Control is just an illusion!!

A global research indicates that 50% of the attrition rate in an organisation is on account of Leadership. Employees don’t leave organisations, they leave bad bosses!

I guess, its time for all of us in the Recruitment industry as well, to let go off our desire to ‘back-seat- drive’ the recruitment process !!!….