(Jamaica Gleaner) Leaders who are overweight have poorer job performance, are less effective at interpersonal relationships in the office, have less stamina and less leadership ability, with decreasing performance ratings, claimed a recent study from the Center for Creative Leadership in the United States (US).
The findings are not surprising and, in fact, is an issue that has long existed and long established, said psychologist and motivational speaker Dr Leahcim Semaj.
“It has well been established that there is a significant relationship between physical fitness, mental ability, and good judgement, and for a very long time, the United States has been insisting that managers lead by example. So you rarely see high-profile managers who are overweight,” Semaj told The Gleaner.
SIMPLE CONCLUSION
“It’s simple. If you do not have the discipline to control your appetite and get adequate exercise and keep fit, then that is surely a reflection of your overall ability to effectively perform your duties.”
The findings of the study, which were published in The Wall Street Journal, quoted experts as saying, “Staying trim is now virtually required for anyone on track for the corner office.”
People have negative stereotypes about the overweight, they said, and think that a lack of health or stamina will negatively impact performance. They said the study was signalling a shift in culture in the US that people hoping to rise through the ranks need to be aware of.
TOO TOLERANT
“In Jamaica, we are too tolerant and tolerate too much slackness and allow people to get away with all kinds of things, including this bad behaviour and bad judgement,” noted Semaj.
“If Jamaicans were more intolerant, they would say, ‘You can’t be telling me about discipline, about fitness, yet you can’t even reflect it in your own habits’. It would then force these persons in charge to apply their own advice to themselves.”
He added, “We have to learn to apply standards because there is a relationship between controlling your own appetite and your own behaviour and your ability to exercise good judgement. Being overweight shows a lack of control. If you can’t exercise control on a personal level, how can you be trusted to have discipline and control in your role as a leader?”
