A consequence of a secret fear of failure.
Achilles Heel Syndrome (AHS) is a consequence of a secret fear of failure and due to modern day circumstances I believe it is becoming more prevalent.
AHS, although it is not a new concept, I don’t believe it is well understood. My aim therefore is to explain the concept, understand why it is becoming more prevalent and explore actions that organisations can take to reduce the incidence of AHS.
What is Achilles Heel Syndrome? (AHS)
I first discovered AHS when reading Petruska Clarkson’s book Achilles Heel Syndrome. The term Achilles’ heel is used when referring to one’s vulnerability and it is spawned from Greek Mythology.
Achilles was the Greek hero who seemed immortal and won every battle, but had a secret and fatal flaw, his heel. Thetis was his mother and when he was a baby she wanted to ensure his immortality and give him extra human qualities. The river Styx was one of the nine rivers of the ancient underworld, which could bestow immortality on human beings. Thetis plunged Achilles in the river only holding him by his heel. In this way she made his body immortal except for the heel, which she held. Thus the heel was the vulnerable part of his body and it was the place he could be fatally injured thus his fatal flaw.
Like Achilles, they know they have a potentially fatal flaw. People who experience Achilles Heel Syndrome (AHS) spend a lot of time appearing self-confident and are often very successful. As I mentioned in a previous article, research demonstrates, on balance appearing self-confident is more likely to enable success.
In many instances, they may have avoided mastering some skill, knowledge or attitude. Yet they do not want to admit they may not have the knowledge required, as they fear a potentially humiliating or shaming exposure of this flaw, which they have worked hard at concealing from others.
The consequence is an illusion of competence in some areas with a lot of wasted time and energy creating that illusion. In addition to this they may often block competent people to ensure they are not exposed. This in turn can be a fatal flaw not only to the individual but also more importantly to the organisation if not corrected.
What are the key reasons why AHS is becoming more common in organisations?
Obviously there are many and varied reasons why AHS may develop. However to reduce the increasing levels of AHS, organisations need to focus on obtaining, developing and retaining “ relevant” competence. This is even more important in modern organisations with their need for speed to maintain competitive advantage; their reliance on downsizing to manage costs and what I believe is an ever-increasing belief that if people look good they are good. To reduce the creation of AHS I believe competence needs to be a high priority in the following areas:
1. Hiring competent people.
How many organisations spend enough time identifying employee’s competence to do a specific job? How many employers are unduly influenced by the image the employee presents in contrast to competence? I believe image, more so than ever before, plays an undue influence when recruiting people and it goes hand in hand with an image conscious society. This is supported by research and a booming image industry.
Dressing for success, has now been broken down into market segments. Women are having lessons on how to deepen their voice. Teeth whitening, cosmetic surgery and cosmetic adjustments are becoming basic requirements for all ages in their pursuit of being relevant. You only have to observe the new businesses that are now in every capital city where people can be “refreshed” during their lunchtime with a range of products or jabs.
One middle aged business woman said to me after I spoke at an International Women’s’ day event, that she feared if she didn’t invest in being “refreshed” she would be unemployable because of societies increasing emphasis on appearance. Another example of the importance of image is the time and pressure employees put on their managers to ensure they have the most impressive title irrespective of what they do.
Research also supports the power of image over competence. One study demonstrated that the three ingredients to success in the western world were to be a male, 6’2”and articulate. Also black males were more likely to be successful if they had the same attributes and had finer features similar to white Caucasians.
Other research has shown that when employers don’t actually see a potential employee at an interview, and they don’t know information such as age; they are more likely to focus on competence without the influence of unconscious bias.
One publicly listed company recently as a part of their diversity policy, and based on such research, asked their recruitment company to take out any evidence of gender on the CV’s they submitted to them. This was to reduce the initial incidence of unconscious bias. Another company, to reduce unconscious bias, recruits senior managers by using the panel approach. This is nothing new, except the panel must be diverse, have a focus on competence, cultural fit and have been educated about unconscious bias.
The focus must be hiring competent people and use tools either existing or created to ensure competence is a high priority. If the emphasis is on the spin of the CV, titles or how someone looks, it is fertile ground for the development of AHS
2. Maintaining organisational capability.
No competent manager is going to actively promote someone beyond their level of competence without providing them with the necessary support to do their job. Management 101. Or are they? Today more than ever before, redundancies and hiring freezers are a part of every day life. (I mentioned in another article approximately 400,000 people a year is made redundant in Australia.) The employees left behind have to deliver, even though they may not have the necessary skills to do so.
The opportunity to develop skills through training and development often are cut in parallel to staff cuts. The consequence is that many people who remain in organisations may be promoted beyond their level of competence with little support. This weakens the organisation by reducing organisational capability. In an environment of fear, where people are concerned about loosing their job, they are less likely to show vulnerability, quite the contrary. This is where there is a potential rapid rise of Achilles Heel Syndrome. (AHS)
I believe one opportunity to reduce AHS is for managers responsible for organisational capability is to ask the right questions: For example.
- Does the organisation have the required level of competence in the business to achieve their revised business objectives?
- What does the business have to put in place to ensure employees are and remain competent?
Focusing on organisational capability will also reduce the incidence of AHS.
3. Resisting promoting people beyond their level of competence.
How difficult is it for managers today, when employees, without the necessary skill or experience have unrealistic expectations of promotion? Often the underlying threat is that if they are not promoted they will leave. In some organisations managers are measured on turnover rates. The consequence of this is people can be promoted beyond their level of competence.
I once worked with a large organisation, which attempted to manage such workforce expectations. The department was less than 50 people. They created seven levels on the department’s organisational chart; this included a Director, two GM’s, three Heads of Departments and a myriad of flash titles. You can imagine the gridlock of bureaucracy.
As a manager I remember when I applied my knowledge of AHS to a specific situation it proved to be mutually beneficial. A junior HR professional made an appointment to see me when I was the GM of HR. It was clear she was ambitious, capable and willing to learn.
A senior HR role became available and she wanted to be considered for the role. I listened to her reasons and could see she had huge potential but not the level of experience and influencing skills necessary to do the job. I explained to her about AHS, gave her a copy of the book, and suggested if she were willing to work with me in HR for a period of time I would give her the breadth of experience necessary, for her to be confident in her career. In that time, she managed the implementation of a HRIS system, did several major projects and had significant opportunities to influence. When the next senior HR role became available she was promoted to the position and was very successful. Six years later she is a GM of HR for a large international company without the possibility of AHS. I found understanding, naming and discussing the implications of AHS with employees a very worthwhile practice both as a manager and as a coach.
What are the consequences?
It is often said fearful people are the gatekeepers of competence and the number one enemy of creativity and innovation is the fear of failure. The very two things that organisations need more than ever before, is competent people who are in an environment that allows them to be creative and innovative.
People with Achilles Heel Syndrome are often people who block competent people, as they do not want their lack of competence to be highlighted. How often have you seen this behaviour in organisations? Often so much energy is placed on just doing the job, or keeping up appearances that there is no time to be innovative.
In contrast some people over a period of time come to believe the praise of others and believe their own rhetoric and still lack the key skills. They instead become victims of hubris and they often can’t recognise competence or seek it. The outcome is the same.
If you don’t have competence and you don’t seek competence, your ability to make appropriate decisions can be severely compromised. This can have significant if not fatal implications, to the organisation over time.
I want to emphasise, that we don’t have to be competent in every aspect of our job, though that would be ideal. What I am saying is to prevent AHS we need to be able to recognise areas we need to be skilled in and do something about it.
I remember when I was close to succumbing to AHS myself. I had commenced a new role and I had two major areas I had little competence in, one was implementing a Human Resource Information System (HRIS). When I started my new job I found myself heading the HRIS Committee, one of the areas I had no competence in. I felt sick inside yet maintained an air of self-confidence. Initially I did not want people to know I lacked this knowledge, I did not want to be seen as incompetent, vulnerable, particularly so early in my job. After wrestling with myself, I went and spoke to the GM of Technology, and asked for his help. It was one of the best decisions I made for the organisation and myself. If I had continued to have pretended and not asked for help, AHS may have weaved its necrotic web on me as well.
Let me reinforce the notion that fearful people are the gatekeeper of competence. They may or may not be easy to spot, however one tell tale sign is instead of seeking competent people around them; they will often seek to exclude them. Organisations do not want their Achilles Heel to be lack of competence, masquerading as self-confidence. They instead need competent and self-confident employees. If organisations maintain focus on obtaining, developing and retaining competence, AHS is less likely to develop. What organisations do not want is to suffer the same fate as Achilles, whereby his enemies, became aware of his “fatal” flaw and targeted his ankle with a “fatal” arrow.
