Truth 20. Experience counts! Wrong!

Most of us accept the common-sense notion that experience is a valuable, even necessary, component for effective leadership. Voters, for instance, tend to believe that the jobs of U.S. senator or state governor prepare individuals to be effective U.S. presidents. Similarly, organizations buy into this notion when they carefully screen outside candidates for senior management positions based on their experience. For that matter, have you ever filled out an employment application that didn’t ask about previous experience or job history? In many instances, experience is the single most important factor in hiring and promotion decisions. Well, here’s the surprising news: The evidence doesn’t support that experience per se contributes to leadership effectiveness.

“Some inexperienced leaders have been outstandingly successful, while many experienced leaders have been outstanding failures. Among the most highly regarded former presidents are Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman, who had very little previous leadership, while highly experienced Herbert Hoover and Franklin Pierce were among the least successful.” Studies of military officers, research and development teams, shop supervisors, post office administrators, and school principals tell us that experienced managers tend to be no more effective than the managers with little experience.