You the boss!

While I have not professionally held the title of a manager, supervisor or as I call it "a boss" as a subordinate I have observed the do's and don'ts to managing others through being managed.  On top of being intelligent, ethical and being good at what you do I believe the next ten things wouldn't hurt to be good at being "a boss".

1 - Open Communication
You have to have an open line of communication in all aspects so that there is no guessing in the work relationship.  That goes from communicating performance to letting your employees know you aren't coming to work or are leaving early.  Today, my boss left the office early, leaving our team confused at where she was, if she was coming back and if and how we could reach her if an emergency occurred.  Literally, no one in my department knew where our boss went. 
2 - Empowerment
If you don't motivate your employees and instill confidence in them to do a great job, 9 out of 10 times your employees won't produce their best work.
3 - Transparency
While managers can't always tell their employees everything, like future plans not yet approved, the fact that an executive is retiring, etc.  However, if that is the nature of your job, as a boss, let your employees know that you will be as open and honest with them as their job allows.  Honest enough to share what you can, and honest enough to say when you can't.  When the economy was down back in 2008 my boss let me know early on, that there will not be any bonuses for me or anyone in the company and she was right.  It sucked, but she was honest.
4 - Approachable
Some bosses think that being a boss means to be mean, unapproachable and to have your employees intimidated by you.  This will cause resentment and actions driven by fear.  They will hate you and talk about you behind your back.  This one goes with number one, there will be no communication if you are unapproachable to begin with. 
5 - Engaged/Presence
If you don't care, they won't care.  Bosses who are detached or disengaged when it comes to the department they are managing run the risk of losing the focus of their employees.  A previous boss of mine seemed not to care if and when she came to work, when deadlines were approaching and if I was even doing my job.  At first I thought she just really trusted me, I mean I am a stellar employee, but then I began to notice that she was just not that into the job.  Maybe this was temporary, maybe she was going through something, whatever the case it led me to become resentful and overworked.  So, make sure as a manager, you stay tuned.
6 - Supportive
Employees need cheerleaders at work.  Support on projects, support during conflict and support in the growth of their career.
7 - Respectful
Disrespect does not yield positive results.  Again, this will get your employees talking about you behind your back.
8 - Secure/Confident
If a manager is not secure in their abilities they tend to hoard work and not work towards developing their employees to be successful.  Most times employees don't want to stay in their same position forever, they want to grow.  If the manager thinks that their subordinate will outshine them or pass them up in some way, they will be hesitant in providing opportunity.  If you feel like that, than you as a manager should take up a course to better your skill set instead of holding someone back.
9 - Lead by example
Do as I say, not as do, works best coming from a parent or guardian.  Coming from "a boss" ummm, not so much.  This will cause confusion and in my opinion lead to unethical behavior.  You mean to tell me that if you are a boss you act one way and if you aren't you act another - not good.  The reality is EVERYONE has a boss unless you own your business, so you will eventually have to answer to someone.  How about you just do the right thing and use your best judgement when in doubt and showcase good professional behavior to your employees.
10 - Human
You did not start your job as "a boss".  We all have to start somewhere, learn something and make a mistake along the way.  We are all human and that includes our bosses!

Bullies at work - really?

Wow, I just finished reading an article from last Sunday's Detroit Free Press newspaper about workplace bullying.  I was bullied in elementary school, for no other reason but for being smaller than others, or too quiet or just plain minding my own business.  But those days are long gone for me, but unfortunately not for others.  I couldn't imagine being bullied at work.  I mean come on, I am there to enrich my life, make a difference and make money! 

Ironically in the midst of the massive campaigns against child and teen bullying  and cyber-bullying and violence - the exact same behaviors are occurring in workplaces.  Who would have thought, working parents now have to deal with making sure their kids are not victims of bullying as well as themselves!

According to the article "Bullies at work all too common" a CareerBuilder survey revealed 27% of workers admit to being bullied at work.  This bully behavior included:

• Being harshly criticized
• Being yelled at in front of other colleagues
• Having belittling comments made towards them
• Stealing credit for their work

After reading the article, I thought maybe I did know that these types of things are happening - I can say I have seen this type of behavior happen to others.  I just didn't put it in the bullying category, instead I put it in the a-hole category.  I then wonder are these so called adult bullys, the result of grown up bullies, or the victims of childhood bullies trying to seek retribution for having been bullied?  Who knows.  It's wrong either way.  

If you feel that you are being bullied document all incidents in detail and if feel that you can address the person who is doing the bullying, do so they may not know they are bullying you.  On the other hand, if you can clearly identify that the the person who is bullying you, knows it, doesn't care and dares you to tell someone; Still document the incidents in detail and run not walk to your Human Resources department to seek resolution.

Here are a couple resources available concerning how to handle bullying (child and adult):

• www.stopbullying.gov
• www.bullybusters.org
• www.workplacebullying.org 

   

Help me to help you

This week I confirmed that as a "right-hand man" you are required to watch the act of thinking.  In my job, while I am not an assistant by title, I always end up assisting my boss with numerous tasks and projects, making copies, fetching files, and the most fairest of all - watching her think. 

With some internal company restructuring we have a new leader with a different management style, and different needs and priorities.  With this comes more complex projects requiring me to assist my boss on assignments I've never been exposed to before.  This is great news for me, because I now have the opportunity to learn some new skills and interact with other colleagues.  Yea Me!

However, I realized that its not enough to listen to my boss debrief the situation, get educated on the details, retype documents that our predecessors did not save electronically, analyze the next steps based on my perspective as a newcomer to the information, BUT I also must sit in my boss's office and watch her as she thinks of where additional documents may be, who could have possibly signed the missing document, what the calculation on the 19th page of the contract means and so on!!!!!   How do I know that this to is a requirement - because when I position my body to leave her office to return to my desk, she snaps "Wait, give me a minute".  A minute to do what, I ask myself.  While it would be fantastic if my superhuman power was mind reading, I don't possess that skill set and watching someone think is a waste of time if it isn't an active brainstorming session.

At the end of the day, don't ask someone to watch you think, help them to help you accomplish whatever outcome you are looking for by not wasting their time, but telling them what you are trying to achieve, uncover, or make a decision on.  Next, write down the follow up items that need some additional thought and lastly, decide on a time to reconvene once you had the opportunity to actively think and discuss next steps. 

When the Cat's Away.....*

This mouse does not play.  My boss is out of the office on business for the next 4 work days.  And boy did I raise the roof, shout hallelujah and did any and everything else to celebrate my much needed break away from the "man".  But the funny thing about me - is that I get my best work and the most work done when my boss is out of the office.

Unlike the idiom - I generally do my playing when my boss is in the office.  It is better to maneuver the "play" aspect: shuffle papers, pick up the phone and pretend I am taking a business call, and take a long stroll to the vending machine when my boss is in.  No one else is keeping their eye on me, because if I look like I am chilling and my boss is in, no one will think any of it.  They think, would I dare play around with my boss in town??  However, beware, one false move when your boss is out, you will sure call attention to your schemes!

My boss's absence allows me to work without any interruptions, my to-do list actually serves its purpose and my talk breaks to my colleague are shorter, because I am so motivated to get the things on my agenda done! 

Later in the day, a colleague invited me to a slack fest, but I declined; she was shocked that I had the audacity to actually get some work done during this so-called vacation!  If you don't listen to nothing else I say, don't fall victim to this idiom.  Handle your business with or without your boss or supervisor around.  If you need a break to surf the net, talk to your friends, or try to leave early - do it when your boss is there.  This leaves you free from unwanted speculation and it's easier to talk your way in or out of something when it comes straight from the horses mouth.  How is that for another idiom!

*Idiom: 

Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules. For example, As soon as their parents left, the children invited all their friends over—when the cat's away, you know. This expression has been a proverb since about 1600 and is so well known it is often shortened, as in the example.

Here comes the boss! How to stay out of trouble when surfing the internet at work.

Lately, I've found numerous websites that want you to look at their websites at work and not get in trouble for it! Websites like, http://www.tnt.tv/ provides a "Boss Coming? Dramatic Pause" link to a bogus MS Excel spreadsheet, so while you are watching a show, if your boss walks by or into your office you have an immediate solution to your wrongdoing. Who is catching up on episodes of their favorite TNT show at work - I don't know, but I find this hilarious and diabolically clever!

How did I learn about this you ask, not at work! One weekend a while back, when I was trying to catch up on TNT's police drama "Dark Blue" (which I like and hope comes back this summer, hopefully I wasn't the only one watching it), I discovered this interesting marketing tool and job saver.

I work in a cubicle with my back and computer screen facing the walk way. This could cause lots of problems for me, if I'm too slow to turn my head, peep the intruders, and click on a work appropriate website or document and commence working. Working in a cubicle, for the past three years, I've fine-tuned my hearing so that I can effectively surf the web or online shop and stay on my toes!

There are some job boards that also have these faux documents that allow you to search for jobs and always escape the job hunt with one click, when the coast isn't clear. This particular job board I was on, actually took you to a document that was about developing management styles. Now listen very closely here - I would never suggest looking for a job at work, ever. Unless you know how to delete your internet cookies and files completely and without a trace - I suggest you leave those activities for your home computer. Companies already have internet guidelines, and to tell you the truth yahoo and hotmail sometimes are against the rules too. Please don't lose your job over facebook.

While you should stick to more safe websites like msn.com and cnn.com, you can always make your own "boss is coming - getaway vehicle" by opening up actual work documents you are working on or have a standing new email message template from outlook and there you go. After that, you must, I repeat must, master the mouse click or the ALT - TAB combo to get you out of the inappropriate screen in enough time!

Good Luck!

"What does a "boss" really do? I mean really, my boss really doesn't do anything. He comes in late, goes to the hospital, hob-nobbing, and gives me all of his things to do...even his mail...so my new goal...should it be to become..........a boss?" A quote from my dear friend who is a Physician's Assistant. She has is a legitimate concern and she got me thinking. What does a boss really do?

Well...... from my experiences they:

• Come in late (some) and turn around and leave early. They even lie about staying late, "working all hours of the night" yeah right. Failed attempts to trick you into believing it, as they make sure they are still there when you leave but in reality are seconds behind you out the door.
• Ask you to do useless tasks unrelated to your career goals such as "preparing an overnight envelope for their personal use" or "going to the soda machine to get them a Pepsi".
• Speak aggressively in a meeting about what actions they are going to take with a project only to impress the VP. You are even impressed at how your boss is going to develop and launch that wonderful idea and then when you least expect it, their exciting idea and the work involved gets dumped on you with a very limiting deadline to deliver; All the while never letting you forget that this is a deliverable of theirs. "Then you should make sure it gets delivered!" is what I want to say!
• Bring in lunch for the department - we're not stupid, we know we are now on a "working lunch". We end up not getting a break at all, while they take 2 hour "business" lunches.
• Lastly, ride your back to meet goals that affect their bonus. Going as far as to make you stop meaningful work that affects your performance review, to have you work on labeling a drawer (something they could do themselves) so that they can pass the office audit and get upwards of tens of thousands of bonus dollars, while we suffer for low pay and get nothing but another paid for lunch that we end up working through.

So to answer April's question - "Should her new goal be to become a boss"?

I say noooooo, don't sell your soul to the devil, don't turn to the dark side, save your character and good will. We shall overcome!