Three Signs You Have an Incompetent Manager
- Apr 30, 2025
- 7 min read
Written by Dr. Adam McCartney, Psychologist
Adam is a psychological strategist and writer who equips leaders with insights that elevate performance, culture, and impact. His work bridges evidence-based thinking with practical application, helping organisations create environments where people and outcomes align.
The year is 1999. We’re in the midst of the dot-com bubble. The millennium bug is causing global anxiety. Ricky Martin is topping the charts. And, amid all this, a subtle revolution in our understanding of competence is quietly taking shape. In a seminal paper, psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger introduced the world to a now widely known cognitive bias: individuals with low ability in a domain are often unable to recognise their lack of competence. Instead, they overestimate their own capabilities. The paper is titled, somewhat dryly, Unskilled and Unaware of It. But its implications are anything but.
Fast forward to the present day, and their findings remain disturbingly relevant. Pair them with Laurence J. Peter’s satirical but piercing observation, the Peter Principle, which suggests that people tend to be promoted until they reach a level of incompetence and a familiar, frustrating pattern emerges in the modern workplace. Incompetent management is not simply a personal failing; it is a structural hazard that can erode culture, stifle innovation, and corrode morale.
When individuals are promoted beyond their capacity to perform, two key issues arise. First, these individuals often occupy roles that block opportunities for others who might thrive in them. Second, their lack of insight and strategic leadership impedes the development of their teams. This can lead to a workplace environment defined by stagnation, resentment, disengagement, and burnout.
Some forward-thinking organisations are tackling this by reimagining what progression looks like. They are investing in career pathways that do not rely on traditional hierarchies, offering instead opportunities for professional satisfaction, development, and peer recognition. These models make space for technical expertise to be celebrated without forcing individuals into managerial roles for which they are ill-suited.
This is particularly relevant in professionalised workforces, such as psychology. Not every brilliant psychologist makes a good manager. So what happens when a senior role becomes available, and a candidate with a formidable ego but twenty years of experience steps forward? Do they have the emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and peer respect needed to lead? Or do they rely on status and tenure to dominate decision-making, dismiss ideas, and create an environment where innovation goes to die?
Leadership in such contexts requires far more than technical skill. It demands an ability to foster trust, listen deeply, and adapt. With that in mind, here are three of the clearest signs that you might be working under an incompetent manager and why that matters.
1. Incompetent managers take credit for everyone else’s work
This trait is one of the clearest indicators of a manager with inflated self-assessment. It’s also a hallmark of someone suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect: the less competent they are, the more likely they are to overestimate their role in success.
"When team members see their ideas and efforts absorbed into a manager's ego-driven narrative, trust is eroded."
This sort of manager thrives on the illusion of contribution. When a project succeeds, they position themselves at the centre of it, regardless of the actual input they had. They speak in vague terms: they "oversaw" the work or "facilitated" the outcomes. But when asked for specifics, "What exactly did you do?" or "How did your actions lead to this result?" they offer little substance.
This behaviour is not just demoralising; it's corrosive. When team members see their ideas and efforts absorbed into a manager's ego-driven narrative, trust is eroded. People stop going the extra mile. They become disengaged. Talented individuals start looking elsewhere.
Good managers do the opposite. They spotlight the contributions of others. They promote and protect their teams. And they understand that shared success is the mark of a mature, confident leader. The phrase "rising tides lift all boats" is not just a metaphor; it's a strategy. When people feel valued, they are more likely to contribute fully. And when it’s their time to lead, they will carry that ethos forward.
If your manager consistently takes the credit, the alarm bells should be ringing.
2. They only endorse ideas that originate from themselves
A subtler, yet equally damaging behaviour is the need to be the origin of every good idea. Insecure managers often struggle to allow space for ideas that challenge their authority or highlight others’ creativity. As a result, team meetings become echo chambers.
"When all validation must come from the top, the team stagnates. Engagement wanes. Opportunities are missed."
If a junior staff member suggests a new approach or process improvement, the idea may be ignored or dismissed until the manager reintroduces it days or weeks later, reframed as their own. This type of gatekeeping stifles creativity and fosters resentment. Worse still, it denies teams the learning and growth that comes from open idea exchange.
Why does this matter? Because innovation does not exist in a vacuum. Ideas need oxygen. They need discussion, challenge, testing, and revision. In a healthy environment, a junior staff member might put forward a half-formed idea and through dialogue with peers and seniors, refine it into something robust. Everyone learns. Everyone benefits.
But when all validation must come from the top, and only ideas that originate from the manager are permitted to flourish, the team stagnates. Engagement wanes. Opportunities are missed.
This trait is difficult to observe unless you’re in the room, but you can often detect its effects. Ask yourself: Does the team generate new ideas regularly? Are people excited to bring new thinking forward? Or do they quietly wait to be told what to do?
An insecure manager who needs to own every idea ultimately suffocates the team’s potential.
3. They meet KPIs but struggle with retention and innovation
Meeting KPIs is often used as a shorthand for success. But numbers can lie, or at least obscure deeper truths. Some managers may hit every target on the spreadsheet but preside over high staff turnover, low morale, and a noticeable absence of innovation.
"Without a team that innovates, it only takes a competitor to package a similar service better to siphon your business."
In some industries, such as retail or call centres, turnover is expected. These roles are often entry points for younger workers or those seeking short-term employment. But in professionalised roles, engineers, accountants, psychologists, or marketers, persistent turnover is a red flag.
When skilled professionals leave in high numbers, there is often an underlying cause. The job may be poorly defined, expectations unclear, or the culture toxic. In many cases, the root cause is a manager who fails to support, inspire, or trust their team. Instead, they may micromanage, place unrealistic demands, or create a climate of fear.
Retention in such environments becomes more than about pay. It’s about autonomy, recognition, purpose, and belonging. Good managers create conditions in which professionals can thrive. They ask: What does my team need to do their best work? How do I support them? What barriers can I remove?
Conversely, an incompetent manager sees people as problems to be fixed or obstacles to be navigated. They cling to rigid procedures, resist feedback, and fail to adapt.
In my own experience as a manager, I learned this lesson the hard way. Early on, I rigidly enforced a reporting framework without considering the expertise or working styles of veteran team members. I dismissed their frustrations as reluctance to change. But when I stopped, listened, and asked, "How might you align your work with the framework?", the tone shifted. Their ideas flowed, their reports improved, and trust was rebuilt.
Managing skilled professionals is not about direction; it is about retention. And that requires introspection.
Case in point: The psychology profession
Take educational psychology as an example. These professionals are multi-skilled. They can deliver assessments, advise schools, write academic literature, support families, conduct research, and contribute to policy. Yet many are leaving public sector roles. Why?
Because their roles have been narrowed to statutory casework, stripping them of variety and purpose. Driven by top-down policies and rigid expectations, their work has become repetitive, restrictive, and disconnected from the broader impact they once had.
Some services are responding by splitting teams, some members focus on statutory tasks, while others take on varied project-based roles. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. It helps retain professionals by offering them meaningful work that aligns with their skills and interests.
Failing to address this issue leads to demotivation, burnout, and an exodus of talent. Worse still, rebuilding a depleted professional team takes years and often fails to recover the institutional knowledge and cultural capital lost.
If we let professional roles stagnate, we pay the price.
Final thoughts
Organisations must invest in leadership that prioritises people, not personal ego. Introspection isn’t optional; it’s essential.
The Dunning-Kruger effect offers a profound warning: incompetence is often invisible to the person who possesses it. In management, this blindness can be catastrophic. The most effective managers are not those who shout the loudest or appear the busiest. They are those who can reflect, adapt, empower, and elevate others.
So if you suspect your manager may be incompetent, look for these signs. Do they take credit without contributing meaningfully? Do they shut down ideas that aren’t their own? Do they meet KPIs while failing to retain and inspire talent?
The solution is not always easy, but it is simple in principle: hire and develop managers who can introspect. Because introspection is the antidote to the Dunning-Kruger effect, and it is the foundation of competent leadership.
Organisations that build around this principle will not only keep their best people, they will help them thrive.
Read more from Dr. Adam McCartney
Dr. Adam McCartney, Psychologist
Adam is a psychological strategist and writer with a focus on leadership, organisational culture, and systemic impact. He translates complex psychological theory into clear, actionable insights that support better decision-making at every level. His work is grounded in evidence, but always directed towards practical, real-world outcomes.
He is particularly interested in the intersection of human behaviour and organisational systems, and how thoughtful leadership can unlock both wellbeing and performance. Through his writing and advisory work, he supports professionals to lead with clarity, empathy, and impact.
