The Sunday Feed

BOSSITUDE

The way you do something is the way you do everything. In fact, the more time I spend on this planet the more I realize how true this is. This is what we in general terms define as an attitude. But when you become a Boss, it turns into what I would call “Bossitude”

There are certain terms that have more negative connotations than the rest. Boss is one such word. Mention it even casually and there are a lot of undesirable feelings that resurface instantly.

Most of the distasteful memories you have in any organization, either present or past can be attributed to a bad Boss whether as a direct superior or a client.

Let us look at some of the traits that define a bad boss and see if we can give it a constructive tweak and turn it on its head so that if we are managing a team, it does not see us as an evil character.

1. Micromanagement

This attribute is found in people who have come up the ranks. For example, someone who is a Marketing Manager in a firm will want to supervise their executives very closely to ensure that they are doing things the way the marketing manager did it.

This often leads to a loss of motivation in the team. The output maybe as desired but the turnover rate substantially increases, killing the momentum of growth.

Easier said than done, the best way to overcome this trait is to exchange the roles. Call in the team and ask then to do a little simulation exercise. Tell them that you are the junior and they are the Manager. Ask them how they would handle you in such a situation to ensure that the target is met. Let them spell it out for you.

Believe me, they will do the same thing as you did. The only thing now is that once they have realized that you are doing all this to ensure that the target is achieved, they will stop calling it micromanagement. Rather, they will see you as someone dedicated to productivity.

2. Criticizing

When you hit someone to protect a vulnerable person it is called heroism whereas when you strike someone without a cause it can be deemed as violence. It is funny how the same action is given 2 completely different legal definitions by looking at the motive from 2 different perspectives.

When you criticize an open-minded person, he or she will see it as feedback but the same will be taken as a conflict or an insult by someone who is high on an ego boost. Of course, some people use it to pull ranks but that is a topic for another day.

So, what can we do to ensure that feedback is seen as feedback. Very simple, before you give any feedback prove your worth.

Solve problems for your juniors. Protect them from abusive clients. Guard them from other departments that are aggressive in nature.

Give very clear signals to everyone that you are a badass leader. If they touch anyone in the team, they touch everyone in the team. Believe me, you will not have to give feedback but just mention it in passing.

Of course, there are certain fields like engineering and medicine where feedback is an essential part of the work to get a license or a promotion. People in these fields never talk about feedback as criticism because it is very linear, and objective and they know what is right and what isn’t!

3. Empathy

This is another superfluous word that is overused by the workforce. To be honest, as a manager, you have more important things to do than empathize with your team. And in fact, admitting that you truly empathize with them will be the biggest mistake of your career.

Let’s look at this through an example. Say it is the beginning of a new year and the management has increased the sales target by 20%. You understand your team and their potential and know this not going to be possible.

Will you fight with the management to reduce the targets. Definitely not! So, what was the point of saying that a manager needs Empathy when he or she can do nothing with it?

I have never understood how companies ask all their employees especially Managers to practice empathy and then they go ahead and retrench staff to increase productivity. What a load of rubbish we have to live with every day!

Having said that, I think a little relaxation given to the team every now and then will not do any harm. What, when and how much is a very subjective topic and can never be defined on metrics.

4. Favoritism

We all are very high on this bias. Logic can never decide why we like someone and why we don’t. Over the years, we master the art of veiling it, giving us a false sense of reassurance that we are neutral when we are far from it.

We are always good to people who we think like us and not so good to people who either oppose us or do not show any particular interest or appreciation for our work.

So is there a way to not have any favorites and be completely neutral as a boss. No there isn’t. I have not come across anyone who does not give perks and benefits to people they like. This unfair practice runs across all organization no matter how many employees work in them.

There are somethings that can be changed and some things that will live till the end of the world. The only thing that can be done is reduce the level of partiality so that the employee who is not close to you does not reach a breaking point.

You need to understand that you require every member of your team, favorite or not. If you go too far in furthering some then you will be losing your favorites as well as they will be overburdened with work and will leave in any case.

John Khalkho: CEO — Dolores Education

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