One of my students shared the story about how when he was a medical student, the residents referred to the attending doctors as “T-Rex.” The name refers to a quote from Jurassic Park where the Tyranasaraus Rex dinosaurs could sense fear or movement and would consequently pounce on those who made themselves known. During hospital rounds, residents would try to remain invisible, lest the “T-Rex” (doctor) would sense their fear or movement and call on the student to respond.
Another student told of her boss’s boss being yelled at in front of her, on her first day as an intern. She spent the rest of her time there trying to avoid having the senior leader sense her fear or movement lest she incur the same rath. In one of my organizations, the same phenomenon was known as “whack-a-mole” — people kept their heads down to avoid being seen and consequently pounded.
I wonder how many bosses have employees who see them as T-Rex and work to stay off their radar. Think of the innovation, feedback, and learning that is lost because people in the organization are afraid to share it. Think of the trust that remains unbuilt because people fail to show their vulnerabilities or take any risks.
In this era of worker options, managers who operate like T-Rex and fail to openly engage with their employees may find themselves suffering the same fate of extinction.
