The Management Zoo.

Avoiding toxic people (as well as not being one!) is essential for your organization’s and team’s success. Which of these 10 types do you recognize? Welcome to the Management Zoo.

Maybe you’ve heard of the HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion), and maybe even of the WOLF, ZEBRA and RHINO. But did you know there are no less than six additional types of not-so-productive-and-better-to-avoid type of persons that may undo success in your organization?

The Management Zoo is populated by these ten animals:

• HiPPO – Highest Paid Person’s Opinion
• ZEBRA – Zero Evidence But Really Arrogant
• WOLF – Working On the Latest Fire
• RHINO – Really Here In Name Only
• SEAGULL – Senior Executive that Always Glides in, Unloads and Leaves Loudly
• DODO – Dangerously OutDated Opinions
• ViPER – Vindictive Person Endangering Results
• MOUSE – Muddled Opinions, Usually Swayed Easily
• PARROT – Pretty Annoying and Ridiculously Repeating OThers
• DONKEY – Data Only, No Knowledge, Expertise or whY

The interesting thing is that it’s not just acronyms. In most cases, the animal itself aligns quite well with what it stands for. Have a look, PARROT? DODO? DONKEY? See the alignment? This makes the Zoo such a powerful tool to analyze people.

Before looking at others, the first thing to do is look in the mirror and ask yourself: Which animal(s) am I?

I’m sure we’re all part of the Management Zoo. Not all the time, and maybe not clearly one animal, but more a combination of several. Or we have at least one weak spot. Which one is it?

In my case, I may have some PARROT and ZEBRA features. As you can see across my posts, I share a lot of what others are saying (although always trying to add my own perspective) and I don’t pay a lot of attention to evidence and data. Being aware of this is helpful, as it reminds me what to pay attention to to improve myself.

That’s where to start. Know yourself. Thereafter you can look at others. Which types are they? And, what can you do to a) help them reflect and realize, b) help them correct and improve, or c) avoid or let them go, if that’s the only remaining alternative.

About Author

Jeroen Kraaijenbrink – Strategy and Leadership Consultant | Global Top 20 LinkedIn Creator | No-Nonsense Collaborator, Educator, Mentor and Author | Enabling Leaders to Improve Through Strategic Insight and Guided Execution |Strategy and Leadership Consultant | Global Top 20 LinkedIn Creator | No-Nonsense Collaborator, Educator, Mentor and Author | Enabling Leaders to Improve Through Strategic Insight and Guided Execution