{"id":347,"date":"2025-05-05T12:25:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/managerial-poker-how-the-wrong-people-in-the-right-roles-can-sink-a-promising-business\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T20:55:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:55:04","slug":"managerial-poker-how-the-wrong-people-in-the-right-roles-can-sink-a-promising-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/managerial-poker-how-the-wrong-people-in-the-right-roles-can-sink-a-promising-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Mened\u017cerski poker: jak nieodpowiedni ludzie na w\u0142a\u015bciwych stanowiskach mog\u0105 zatopi\u0107 obiecuj\u0105cy biznes"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a subtle game happening inside many companies. Not on the market, not with customers, not even in product strategy. It\u2019s a game played behind closed doors, under the radar, and often above the heads of those doing the actual work. It\u2019s what I call Managerial Poker<\/strong>\u2014where career advancement, ego protection, and personal bonuses outweigh the growth of the business.<\/p>\n

To co\u015b, co nazywam mened\u017cerskim pokerem<\/strong> \u2013 czyli sytuacj\u0105, w kt\u00f3rej rozw\u00f3j firmy przestaje by\u0107 celem, a g\u0142\u00f3wn\u0105 walut\u0105 staj\u0105 si\u0119 ego, awans, premia i wp\u0142ywy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When Managers Play for Themselves<\/strong><\/p>\n

The true job of a manager\u2014any manager\u2014is to multiply impact. To help people grow, guide teams to deliver results, and move the company forward. But when misaligned individuals slip into these roles, they often approach them with a very different purpose: maximize personal gain, minimize personal risk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Prawdziwym zadaniem mened\u017cera \u2013 na ka\u017cdym poziomie \u2013 jest pomna\u017canie efektu zespo\u0142u<\/strong>. Rozw\u00f3j ludzi. Pomoc w osi\u0105ganiu wynik\u00f3w. Przesuwanie firmy naprz\u00f3d.<\/p>\n

Ale kiedy w te role trafiaj\u0105 osoby z niew\u0142a\u015bciwym nastawieniem, pytania staj\u0105 si\u0119 inne:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jak zapewni\u0107 sobie bonus?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jak dosta\u0107 awans i uznanie?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jak by\u0107 widocznym, ale bez ryzyka?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jak zablokowa\u0107 tych, kt\u00f3rzy mogliby mnie przy\u0107mi\u0107?<\/p>\n

Z pozoru to tylko \u201enormalne ambicje\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Team Leader Who Blocks Talent<\/strong><\/p>\n

They don\u2019t outright sabotage anyone. They just don\u2019t promote that one developer who consistently outperforms. Why? Because deep down, they\u2019re afraid. Afraid that if that person gets visibility, their own mediocrity might be exposed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nie sabotuje nikogo wprost. Po prostu nie promuje najlepszych<\/strong>, bo si\u0119 boi. Boi si\u0119, \u017ce zostanie przy\u0107miony. \u017be kto\u015b zauwa\u017cy, \u017ce tak naprawd\u0119 od dawna nie dowozi.<\/p>\n

The Department Manager Who Inflates KPIs<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve got a bonus tied to hitting a specific metric. So they hit it\u2014by tweaking the definition. Or shifting scope. Or prioritizing things that move the number, even if they don\u2019t move the business<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ma premi\u0119 zale\u017cn\u0105 od konkretnego wska\u017anika?<\/p>\n

The Director Who Talks a Great Game (and Delivers Nothing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Albo ustawi\u0107 priorytety tak, by raport wygl\u0105da\u0142 dobrze \u2013 nawet je\u015bli produkt cierpi.<\/p>\n

Na dashboardzie \u2013 wszystko na zielono.<\/p>\n

W rzeczywisto\u015bci \u2013 zesp\u00f3\u0142 sfrustrowany, klient zagubiony, firma rozjechana.<\/p>\n

In reality, they\u2019re a master illusionist\u2014covering a lack of competence with charisma<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The C-Level Who Plays Politics, Not Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Na spotkaniach sypie terminami: \u201esynergia\u201d, \u201estrategiczny priorytet\u201d, \u201evalue orchestration\u201d.<\/p>\n

They hire yes-people. They suppress dissent. And slowly, the company becomes a court<\/strong>, not a mission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This Is Not Incompetence. It\u2019s Self-Interest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bo to nie lider \u2013 to iluzjonista. Kto\u015b, kto braki kompetencji przykrywa gadk\u0105 i prezentacj\u0105.<\/p>\n

They treat the company like someone else\u2019s property<\/strong>. A vehicle. A stage. A stepping stone.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: when everyone acts like that, the company becomes nothing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is exactly what free markets figured out centuries ago. When no one owns it<\/strong>, no one protects it. That was the problem with communism\u2014and anyone who grew up in post-PRL Poland remembers it. The logic was simple: \u201cif it belongs to everyone, it belongs to no one.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So What Do We Do About It?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ludzie, kt\u00f3rzy ju\u017c szykuj\u0105 sobie \u201emi\u0119kkie l\u0105dowanie\u201d w nowej firmie, udaj\u0105c, \u017ce buduj\u0105 przysz\u0142o\u015b\u0107 tej obecnej.<\/p>\n

1. Fix the Incentives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bonuses should be tied to real value<\/strong>, not vanity metrics. If someone\u2019s gaming KPIs, you\u2019re not just wasting money\u2014you\u2019re distorting the direction of the business.<\/p>\n

Ci ludzie nie s\u0105 g\u0142upi.<\/p>\n

Consider ESOPs (employee stock ownership plans)<\/strong>. When employees become partial owners, their mindset shifts. The company becomes theirs<\/strong>. They don\u2019t game it\u2014they grow it.<\/p>\n

2. Redefine Success for Managers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make it clear: promotions and trust go to those who build teams<\/strong>, not protect egos. Those who raise others up, not hold them down. If someone\u2019s the smartest person in every room they enter, that\u2019s not strength. That\u2019s weakness in disguise.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Interview for Values, Not Just Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

W PRL wszystko by\u0142o \u201ewsp\u00f3lne\u201d, czyli tak naprawd\u0119 niczyje<\/strong>. A jak co\u015b jest niczyje, to nikt o to nie dba. Nie inwestuje. Nie naprawia. Nie rozwija.<\/p>\n

Co z tym zrobi\u0107?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zacz\u0105\u0107 od tego, co nagradzamy. I co tolerujemy.<\/p>\n

1. Popraw system wynagradzania<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nie wyp\u0142acaj premii za \u201ezielony wykres\u201d.<\/p>\n

Wyp\u0142acaj j\u0105 za realny wp\u0142yw<\/strong>, a mo\u017ce po prostu p\u0142a\u0107 solidnie bez premii.<\/p>\n

4. Support Every Level of Leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rozwa\u017c programy ESOP<\/strong> (udzia\u0142u pracowniczego w akcjach firmy).<\/p>\n

Train people to spot self-serving behavior. Normalize calling it out. And make it clear: this is not how we win here.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Culture is Built at the Top<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Zmie\u0144 definicj\u0119 sukcesu mened\u017cera<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sukces to nie liczba prezentacji.<\/p>\n

To liczba os\u00f3b, kt\u00f3re rozwin\u0105\u0142e\u015b.<\/p>\n

Final Thought<\/strong><\/p>\n

To ludzie, kt\u00f3rzy czuj\u0105, \u017ce rosn\u0105 dzi\u0119ki Tobie \u2013 a nie mimo Ciebie.<\/p>\n

But if we choose leaders based on values, ownership and outcomes<\/strong>, not just noise and image, we can build companies that actually deserve to grow.<\/p>\n

Zbyt cz\u0119sto dajemy si\u0119 nabra\u0107 na \u201e\u0142adne nazwiska\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ale zadawaj trudniejsze pytania:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jak rozwija\u0142e\u015b sw\u00f3j zesp\u00f3\u0142?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

W wielu firmach toczy si\u0119 subtelna gra. Nie na rynku. Nie z klientami. Nawet nie w strategii produktu. To gra prowadzona za zamkni\u0119tymi drzwiami, poza radarem, cz\u0119sto ponad g\u0142owami ludzi, kt\u00f3rzy naprawd\u0119 robi\u0105 robot\u0119. To co\u015b, co nazywam mened\u017cerskim pokerem \u2013 czyli sytuacj\u0105, w kt\u00f3rej rozw\u00f3j firmy przestaje by\u0107 celem, a g\u0142\u00f3wn\u0105 walut\u0105 staj\u0105 si\u0119 ego, awans, premia i wp\u0142ywy.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":50013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-management"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50054,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/50054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/managershaven.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}