The Eddie Haskell management model

People that follow this pathological approach to management and career advancement can actually thrive in a bureaucracy or corporate culture. They can percolate up and advance by managing up with sycophancy and managing down with insults, sarcasm, humiliation, threats, shouting and other time worn techniques of the sociopath.

Fall from no grace

Usually up to a point where they either Peter Principle themselves into a cul de sac, or like Icarus, rise to high, get burned and crash.

Hopefully karma catches up with sycophants and tyros and lays a little Greek tragedy on them for their hubris.

Eddie Haskell was the delinquent on Leave it to Beaver that had Beaver’s parents fooled that he was such a nice boy. They were always asking Beaver why he couldn’t be more like Eddie. It was the running joke as we were let in on the other side of his behavior.

You can tell someone’s true character by how they treat the waitstaff at a restaurant or other service interactions where a customer can take a haughty stance without much threat of retaliation of push back.

No Asshole Rule

As you develop and cultivate your management and leadership style, check yourself for signs of this behavior and exorcise it. If you manage people, don’t tolerate it even in high performers. They are toxic and will poison an organization. Apply the No Asshole Rule.