The babble effect

"Putting people in a group doesn't automatically make them a team. 

...

Leaders play an important role in establishing cohesion. They have the authority to turn independent individuals into an interdependent team. But all too often, when it comes time to decide who takes the helm, we fail to consider the glue factor.

When we select leaders, we don't usually pick the person with the strongest leadership skills. We frequently choose the person who talks the most. It's called the babble effect. Research shows that groups promote the people who command the most airtime -regardless of their aptitude and expertise. We mistake confidence for competence, certainty for credibility, and quantity for quality. We get stuck following people who dominate the discussion instead of those who elevate it.

It's not just the loudest voices who rise to lead even if they aren't qualified. The worst babblers are the ball hogs. In many cases, the people with the poorest prosocial skills and the biggest egos end up assuming the mantle-at a great cost to teams and organizations. In a meta-analysis, highly narcissistic people were more likely to rise into leadership roles, but they were less effective in those roles. They made self-serving decisions and instilled a zero-sum view of success, provoking cutthroat behavior and undermining cohesion and collaboration."

Trechos retirados de "Hidden Potential" de Adam Grant.