What is Digg?42 Comments
- TheThirdWheel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16I had the same problem after my promotion, because I had worked with all of the people I now manage for years and I am still friends with them. The thing that helped me remain friends while still asserting authority is when I stopped asking for things.
When I first got the job I would say stuff like "Hey if you have time, do you think you could finish that report for me?". You end up sounding like the jerk from office space anyways. Just tell employees to do things. "Hey Jim I need that report by 5 today". You assert your authority and as long as you aren't making impossible requests then you aren't threatening your friendly relationship.
The most important thing is reprimand if they do not comply, and to thank/reward when they do. If you constantly let people slide when they don't do as they are told you will get walked over all day. - lburgguy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17I am in managment, quite by accident really. My mistake was trying to be their friend. Once you are a "friend" the power that you had to tell someone to do something quickly diminishes. I wish from day one I had been a jerk, at least then they would respect my position and listen.
Nice guys and friends finish last. - Slovenian6474, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14They can fire you
- ichoudhury, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15There are Scary Managers and there are also Scary Employees. If you have a manager who is scared of you, you must be a Damn Good employee ;)
- cyberdork33, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13There is a balance. I find it easier to "ask a favor" of a friend, rather than "demand work" from an enemy.
- porkstacker, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15I am content with the idea that since I do not golf, nor does golf interest me, that I will never be a manager. I don't like to get caught up in corporate politics. I will continue living my miserable life at the bottom of the corporate chain.
- Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12At the bottom of the pork stacking industry?
- madeingermany, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Key things:
Position
Unpredictability
Volatility
Mistrust of staff
Hoarding information
Not protecting staff
All rather obvious, I'd say. Except for the first "Position", i.e. being a boss, (against which you can't do anything) nobody would do any of the others consciously.... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6not sure why he's getting buried, but I agree. Being completely relaxed and comfortable without any fear hurts productivity as much as extreme amounts of stress.
Some mild stress keeps you at the top of your performance and helps you use your time more effectively. - justdbc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The best boss I ever had was an Israeli who had been a commando officer during his time in the Israeli army. Could he be scary? Well, if he wanted to, I sure he could have been.
But here is what made him my best boss: 1) There was never, ever, any doubt in your mind what the objective was. You knew what he wanted in technicolor detail, and when he needed it. You don't send commando's in with a fuzzy idea of what to do. 2) When he asked what you needed to get it done, and if it was possible in the time frame required, he *actually* *listened* and either got you what you needed or adjusted the goal accordingly. You don't send commandos in ill equipped. 3) He truly knew everyone on the team. Everybody is a package of good and not so good traits. So, deal with it. You can grow your people at the same time that they contribute what they best can. Commandos know exactly what they can rely on each other for. And they care about each other. Officers care the most.
Want to be a good boss? Think like a commando officer that does *not* want to write The Letter To Parents. Get the job done. Bring everybody home. Most of all, remember that lack of clarity about what needs to be done is fatal. - coglethorpe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Not protecting staff
The worst bosses I've had never had the backs of their workers. We were blamed for things that weren't our fault and exposed to the full brunt of office politics. The good bosses sheilded us and took our side when appropriate. - Buschaga, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Assistant Sensei!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Are you a scary manager?
Only if your name is Dwight. - zadadka, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Whereas for me, the article was spot-on....I'll be leaving an anonymous copy on his desk on Monday.
- Lomi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I am also a manager, however I have to say this article is rather uninformed, there is more to being a scary boss or an unliked boss than what this person has written about. Anyone in any position of leadership should read the book "Primal Leadership". Fantastic book, I picked it up at a small bookstore when I was on vacation last month and I have to say it is a huge help.
And no I have no affiliation with the writers of the book. - ziki, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4You've been promoted from assistant to the manager to assistant manager!
- egometry, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5One man's obvious is another's revelation. Do not discount aphoristic knowledge out of hand.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My current job started out a little like that, I think it's a responsibility of both sides to keep it professional and respect each other's roles.
- EtaoinShrdlu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2About 10 years ago, I had a roommate from $ASIAN_COUNTRY, and I eventually picked up some of his language. At $ORKPLACE, I was in charge of production, and one day, the boss hired a tech from the same $ASIAN_COUNTRY.
I had no problem with that, the guy was nice enough and for me, did an acceptable job, despite having not much experience. Trouble is, even though I bended over backwards to please and help him (I even talked to him in his language when I could) and cover for him, the guy was absolutely, totally terrified of me. Perhaps he’s not accustomed of a white speaking an asian language???
But his work was not good enough for the boss, even though I did my best to help him; he was always scared ***** of me (haven’t been able to fathom why), so my boss let him go. He then admitted to me that he wasn’t sure he could do the job, but he hired him just to tease me.
I don’t think that’s something fantastic to do, to play with someone’s carreer like that… - flernk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wow. I had an IT manager who embodied all of those qualities.
- GiJoeBob, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Yep. Being viewed as an equal undermines your authority.
- sailor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is one of the single biggest faults of the managers where I work...Managers never fault the poor policy, poor decisions, poor work environment, lack of resouces and lack of staff for our problems. It is always "work harder your stats are not good...etc...etc...
I still think they fear me, because I have had at least one incident with everyone of them about their failings in management. Needless to say this has not been good for my career, however most of these poor managers are no longer with us...maybe someone was hearing what I was saying? - 0crabby0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Tis lonely at the top....
- kiwiboyus, on 10/12/2007, -10/+11A little fear is a good thing.
- leadfloyd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My manager is usually more worried about $ than protecting his staff. That's why I don't trust him. And I think a big porcentage of my team mates think like me.
- 5thfreedom, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3...to the...
- sailor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1packer64, you are a *****...I am not sure if it will help to explain why because you seem to think you are better than eveyone, so I am sure you can't take any criticism.
I would hardly call EtaoinShrdlu a hegemonist...just because he took the time to learn another language of the some of the people who were working for him.
Packer if you truely believe what you are saying here, then I am sorry for you and your career...because it is already going downhill.
Write this down because it will happen within a year or so, but then you may die young, I suspect shot by an employee who has snapped or in a car wreck on the way home from celebrating your inflated opinion of yourself. - jarielbs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Most people that are afraid of their boss either don't understand them or are not confident enough to tell them that they are full of it. Just because someone is your boss does not mean they know everything. In fact, they probably don't.
The best way I have dealt with these types of bosses is to call them on it in a constructive way. You would be surprised how well that works.
Sometimes you have to manage your own boss. - artisian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Sometimes you need a boss who actually has a pair of balls and will stand up to the customer's crazy demands.
But sometimes these same bosses are the ultimate demotivators to employees who don't like being frightened into doing a task on time. - AriaStar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2A lot of topics here really have no reverence to Diggers. Not now, nor will they ever.
Anyone here who has a job has a manager of some sort, whether an employee of a contractor. There is someone over us who can end our jobs/assignments, excepting those of us self-employed.
One relevance I can see is the comfort in knowing that fear of our managers is a common thing. Another is that, as I'm pretty certain that a decent chunk of us will one day be in managerial positions, learning now what intimidates subordinates in general will help us not seem so frightening later by alerting us know what to do/not do before habits become ingrained. - superrcat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Apparently you have never managed someone. A good "boss" or manager does not claim to know everything. A manager relies on each team member to contribute their special skill to the group.
A manager might not know the technical specifics of what you are doing, but he or she does know how to get projects done by having team members work on aspects of the project that they are each good at. They also know when to realize someone on the team has too much going on and when to take on or pass on those tasks to relieve some of the burden for that person.
A manager is there to help give you the resources you need to do your job and protect you from political decisions. If you are going to "call" your boss out because you think they are "full of it", you are only going to make it out to be something personal. If you have a problem with your manager's decision, there might be other reasons that you do not understand for that decision which could also be a decision made by someone above your manager. - Kaglan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2No question. Even in less official "managing" positions, say for example a teaching assistant of students only a year younger than you at a university, it is important to start out being tough -- and though respectful, definitely not friendly.
At one point I had the joy(?) of being a TA overseeing other TAs. I saw them as equals because by most standards we were equals (almost the same education, same job title, same skills, etc). What being friendly early on earned me was an excellent team when everything worked, but absolute misery when anything went wrong, because I had no power to enforce if people didn't do their jobs.
On the other hand, they same job made me the anonymous ombudsman for part of the teaching program, meaning I addressed student concerns. Because I was reached through an email address and a phone number which identified me only by title, many students assumed I was a professor. It was amazing how much more respect I got. Now there were exceptions.... (and I quote from an email, as accurately as my memory allows): "yo prof i cant come 2 lab today cuz of sports, so where u want me to hand in teh lab at? also, can u move the lab to friday?"
The last part was where he wanted me to reschedule a lab section of forty students so he/she could make sports practice. - Bokista, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"ASR"
- coldshuts, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3They can't fire me. I love the union.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2yea prolly
- forcedfx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I've been fortunate. My last two bosses have been great to work for. With my first boss I pretty much ran the department. He's since been demoted and transferred. The boss I have now in my new position is really laid back, but I have more practical knowledge than he does. He's also being moved to another position.
I don't know whether to say being a friendly boss or mean boss is better. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1You American hegemonist bastard! You think that "speaking" another person's language makes you a "nice" guy? Welcome to the real world (and no, it does not revolve around YOU!). Get an F*n MBA and surpass his ass with real-world credentials, and then FIRE his ass for insubordination! Good grief! Are all of the members of Gen-X a bunch of whinning, snot-nose sh*t fu**kers?! If you can't stand up to Maccaca then maybe you should be working at McDonalds where you can eat the burgers, grow fat and die young while your "friend" collects his pension, breeds, and his retarded nephew takes your son's job at Wal-Mart. If you think you are better than him, then prove it! Or stop whining!
- arkmtech, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2On good days, you bet I'm scary - And on bad days, I'm downright Samuel L. Jackson.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1*YAWN* you are a little bitch! Grow up! You need to grow an F*n spine and own up to the fact that as a "manager" you will never win a popularity contest. Wah, you are so young and smart. Grow up you little snot! Real life involves jack asses, like your subordinates, disliking you for all the wrong reasons despite your best efforts. The fact that this is on digg means your career is OVER! You suck! HA-HA more room for me at the top!
- Markie1006, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Yes.
Next question? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1yea, dig that guy up, he's HILARIOUS.
- pype, on 10/12/2007, -20/+7This won't be relevant to most diggers for another few years
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