lead follow get out of the way

8/13/2019 Lead Follow Get Out of the Way

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dodie steeo podution Page 1 of 6

It is not a big workload that causes depression at work. An unfair boss and an unfair workenvironment are what really bring employees down.

A huge pile of unfinished work is not the main reason whyemployees become depressed; a heavy workload has no effecton whether or not employees become depressed. Instead, it isthe work environment and the feeling of being treated unfairlyby the management that has the greatest effect on anemployees mood.

We may have a tendency to associate depression and stress withwork pressure and workload; however, in the main workload

actually has no effect on workplace depression.

I recommend a management style in which there is a clearlyexpressed wish to treat employees properly combined with atransparent organisational structure.

Throughout your career, you will undoubtedly have numerous bosses. Some will be good,some will be bad. Very few will be outstanding, and hopefully, very few will be outstandinglybad.

Early in my career, those many years ago, I had the tremendous privilege of having the best

boss Ive ever had, a Hungarian from Germany, he was a strong manager with an outlookthat has stuck with me throughout my life. His governing philosophy was, Say what youmean, mean what you say, and do what you say youll do! and Ive tried to emulate hisapproach throughout my career, generally to very positive effect.

Shortly after working for this great boss, Ihad the misfortune of working for the worstboss Ive ever had, who I wont name. Thisboss was a petty tyrant, mean, spiteful,vindictive, credit stealing, and overall a

terrible boss. Im actually grateful forhaving had the experience (despite theliving hell of working through it). Itdemonstrated so forcefully what I wouldstrive to never become, particularly afterworking for the first boss, who showed sopositively what I absolutely wanted tobecome. This bad boss set a negativeexample so bad, that all my other bosses,and many other assorted managers Ive

known, all showed much better characteristics than this one bad boss ever did.

Overall, the learning experience of working with such a variety of bosses and boss types hasbeen truly educating, helping to learn what works, what doesnt, what to emulate and


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expand on, what to reject and avoid, and how to be as effective as possible in doing yourown work and in helping to successfully direct the efforts of others. What follows are some

thoughts on the characteristics of good bosses and what they can do to improve the lives oftheir employees, and what bad bosses can look like and how they undermine the work oftheir employees.

Leadership:A good boss shows leadership by example,and helps his/her employees learn aboutleadership, whether that is leadership of asubgroup, of a project, of a specific effort,showing leadership in meetings, or any of a

wide variety of other leadership approaches.

A bad boss tends to ignore his/heremployees, except when theyre reallyneeded, and generally provides little in theway of useful guidance or true leadership.

He/she also tends to use his/her employees as pawns to blame for problems for which thebad boss is actually responsible.

Clear Expectations:A good boss gives his/her employees clear expectations on what theyre expected to do, andon how they can best accomplish it. He/she doesnt do the job for them, doesnt spoon feedthem every step of the way, and doesnt think for them. He/she just lets them know what isexpected of them, and how they can best accomplish what is expected. If employees comeback with questions or concerns, a good boss answers and guides them, again, withoutdoing the work for them.

A bad boss typically gives vague descriptions of the job and avoids getting further involved,often discouraging further interaction. This makes it easier for a bad boss to place blame.

Meaningful Objectives:A good boss provides his/her employees with meaningful objectives, with goals and targetsto shoot for that capture the importance and value of the work they are about to pursue, andthat make their work understandable. Such goals and targets should be concrete, achievable,and actually fun to shoot for. They should tie together the context of the work of multiplepeople, bringing out competitiveness in a positive, enjoyable, and professional fashion, ratherthan in dreary, repetitive, breaking rocks, just doing work for works sake kind of way.

A bad boss gives his/her employees work assignments, but without specific or meaningfulobjectives, goals, or targets to achieve. They are assigned work, but without context ormeaning, making it difficult for them to succeed, or effectively work together.


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A Sense of purpose:A good boss provides his/her employees with a true sense of purpose, an understanding of

the common goal of their work, and a reason for them to work closely together to achievethat goal in a way that builds a true esprit de corps. When a good boss provides such anexciting common sense of purpose, it can make people really look forward to coming to workevery day!

A bad boss may describe the basic job, but fails to let the employees understand theopportunities that can make the job exciting and enjoyable, or the best ways to approach it.He/she thus turns what could be a truly inspiring opportunity into just another dreary job.

Autonomy and Independence:

A good boss provides his/her employees with high degrees ofautonomy and independence. He/she allows his/heremployees to make their assignments truly theirs, as mostpeople care more when theyre in charge, empowered, and incontrol. Such freedom encourages innovation, and findingnew ways for them to accomplish what needs to be done inthe ways that work best for the individual employees.

A bad boss micromanages and oversees every detail, givingtheir employees little freedom to do the job their way or toshow their unique flair and ingenuity.

Praise in public; Criticize in private:A good boss knows that every employee does some things well, even a relatively poorperformer, and that when an employee does something very well, it should receive praiseand appreciation. Such praise should be given in public (as well as in private), so that otherslearn that good work is recognized for others to see. At the same time, when an employeedoes something wrong or badly, it is necessary for that person to get constructive criticismletting him/her know what was wrong.

However, such criticism should be given in private, to avoid public embarrassment, and thestigma that could come with it.

A bad boss is stingy with praise, if he/she gives it at all, and very public with criticism, oftenenjoying making a spectacle out of some real or imagined instance of poor performance. Thismakes working for a bad boss even more deplorable.

Consistency:A good boss is consistent in his/her interactions with allemployees, treating every person fairly and consistently.Since every person is different and their assignments aredifferent, the interactions with every person may be different,

but the treatment should be consistent and fair. Open andhonest communication is key to such consistency, particularly


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when keeping people informed about decision making and how it affects them.

A bad boss is often very inconsistent, treating different employees differently, showingfavouritism, telling different employees different things about the same actions, etc. Suchinconsistent behaviour breeds discontent and contempt for the boss, and is destructive toboth the boss and his/her employees.

Clearly, there are many other good/bad boss differentiators. For example:encourages/doubts, listens/ignores, trusts/mistrusts, humble/arrogant,communicates/secretive, empathetic/self-cantered, even tempered/bad tempered,decisive/indecisive, sense-of-humour/bad-humour, etc. I invite you to send me moreexamples. Regardless of the specifics, a good boss can make your work life an enjoyable

experience that you look forward to every day, and a bad boss can make your work life aliving hell that you dread going to.

If youve got a bad boss, do what you can to change that, either by finding ways to changeyour bad boss into a good boss, or by getting moved to a good boss. This information mayhelp you learn better what to look for. Life is too short to spend most of your time workingfor a bad boss!

Say What You MeanMean What You SayAndDo What You Say You'll DoLets dissect this expression by discussing each of its parts.

First, Say w ha t you m ean. How many people doyou know who say what they think the people theyretalking to want or expect to hear rather thanspeaking the unvarnished facts? Or present things in

politically correct terminology, often obfuscating

what theyre saying in seemingly proper language.When this happens, the facts are not reallypresented. Often when they speak in this fashion,the people theyre speaking with need to apply a

reverse translator (or bullsh!t filter) to try toconvert what has been said to what was reallymeant.

This approach is extremely inefficient and often misleading or even dangerous. Isnt it betterto hear what was meant rather than what the speaker thinks you want to hear?

How can people expect to make informed decisions if the person speaking to them isntsaying what he/she means? By really saying what you mean, you cut through the clutter andpresent the facts or your direct opinion so that things can be discussed meaningfully without


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going through a kabuki dance. While this direct approach of saying what you mean maystartle, surprise, or discomfort others, youre really better off knowing directly what was

meant rather than having to interpret, often incorrectly. This doesnt mean you should beinsulting, just direct.

Next, Mean w ha t you say. If you say what you mean, but you dont really mean whatyou say, what have you gained or what has the person youre speaking with gained? If youdont mean what you say, youre lying or at least misleading. There may be times when you

want to be careful not to hurt someones feelings or betray a trust, but that means beingdiplomatic, not misleading. If you say what you mean, and mean what you say, you can

build a foundation of trust. You speak your mind, and stand behind what youre saying. Doneright, people will recognize that while they may not always like or agree with what you say,

they know they will always get the straight scoop from you. By not coupling these two partstogether, trust relationships will become difficult if not impossible.

Finally, Do w ha t you say you l l do. If you commit to do something, follow through!Deliver on what youve promised. Let people see that your word is your bond. If

circumstances prevent you from delivering fully, report back the cause of the problem. Bysaying what you mean and meaning what you say, youve gone a long way to build trust

with the people you work and deal with. If you dont then follow through on yourcommitments, that trust will not only be squandered, it will leave a very bad taste in other

peoples mouths. Youve led them to believe you and trust you, and then you let them down.Trust is difficult to build, but extremely easy to destroy. Be the person you would like to be

and the person you would like others to be.

This is much like the golden rule,Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, butI believe Say w ha t you m ean , mean w ha t you say , and do w ha t you say you ll dogoes beyond that. It lets people know that you are a straight shooter who tells it like it is anddelivers on your commitments. You are someone who can be trusted and valued.

Now of course, were all human and we sometimes fall short of our ideal behaviour. No one

is perfect. Still, when that happens, recognize it (sometimes this may be difficult, but as theysay recognizing that you have a problem is a critical first step), apologize sincerely for fallingshort, and do what is required to correct your shortfall and go beyond what is required. Do


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this willingly and with gusto. With such a positive attitude you can recover lost trust. Withoutsuch an attitude, hard earned trust may be lost forever.

It is for others to tell whether I live up to this credo, for trust is earned and not owed. Ihope that I do, and I strongly recommend this to others. So remember, Say W hat YouMean, Mean Wh at You Say, and Do W hat You Say You l l Do!

Right! Its up to you Boyoooh!

lead follow get out of the way

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