Management Work, Bosses and Old Dogs

One of the definitions of management is 'skill in managing, executive ability'. Having spent a good part of my working life employed by businesses of various sizes, I have encountered all types of managers or 'bosses'. Some were skilled at managing others, some could barely manage themselves. One of my first gigs was a summer job working in a paper mill. The supervisor that I worked under had the 'authoritarian' kind of style. As he would often say, "it's my way, or hit the freaking(not exactly) highway". Old John was a man of few words, and since most of them were profane, that was a good thing. Fortunately, you don't often encounter these types of bosses in the business world today. Big business understands how easy it is to get themselves into a jackpot by having one of their employees offended, and tend towards a more civil management style. In other words, they are deathly afraid of being sued!

While John was rough around the edges to say the least, not all of the bosses I worked for were so gruff. Another guy that comes to mind is Joe Smith. Joe was an interesting fellow. He was knowledgeable about every aspect of his job. If there was something you couldn't figure out, ask Joe. The only problem with Joe was that he had a split personality. One day he would be as pleasant as a warm Spring day, the next day he was sullen and angry at the world, just waiting for some trivial matter on which he could read you the riot act. You just never knew which Joe would show up at the job that day, but you could usually figure it out within about 15 minutes of his arriving. Although the owners of the business knew of Joe's personality shortcomings, they tolerated him because he was so damn good at his job. That is one thing about business; if you are exceptional at what you do, they will generally put up with a certain degree of eccentricity from you. On the other hand, if you are just the 'average Joe', be intransigent and they will kick you to the curb faster than a redheaded stepchild. The point is, if you want to be a pain in the a... from time to time like Joe, then make certain that you are an integral part of the business.

Another type of manager that I had the misfortune to work under was a living example of the 'Peter Principle' at work. This lady had risen to her position not because of any exceptional ability, but mainly because she showed up everyday, and knew how to play by corporate rules. Even though Sharon managed to screw up just about everything she had her hands in, she was very good at appearances. One day I ventured into her office to drop off some correspondence, and couldn't help but notice all the awards plastered on her office wall. I decided to take a moment to glance at some of these noteworthy achievements. I was amazed to find that they she had received recognition for such things as having emptied and cleaned the coffee pot at the August 30 meeting, to having served on various committee's, such as what color should we paint the dispatch office this year? While I exaggerate slightly, the point is, it all looked good on the surface. While most of the 'awards' were the kind that most of us wouldn't give a second thought about, she used them skillfully to her advantage.

One of my favorite supervisors was Fred. This kindly old fellow had already retired from a couple of jobs and just wanted something to do to occupy some of his time. Ten years later, Fred had sort of 'grown' into his position. While the ten weeks of vacation he received every year was a definite plus, and the company sponsored trips he took several times a year was indeed a nice perk, what Fred really enjoyed about his job was the fact that he could play solitaire and other card games on the computer all day. On the rare occasion when something needed to be attended to, he had Tim, his right hand man take care of it. Fred managed to keep Tim on this string with the promise that he was going to be retiring next year, and Tim would soon be sitting in the 'Captain's' chair. Problem is, Fred has been retiring for the last seven years. Fred would not life a finger to help out, but he's a nice guy all in all. He's like the old dog in front of the fire, not wanting to be disturbed, all he asks is that you throw a log on the fire from to time.

While the tone of this article might lead you to believe that I have nothing good to say about bosses, I do indeed have empathy for them. They have a tough job in that they are asked to fill dual roles. On one hand, while they understand that their ultimate allegiance is to the company and it's goals, most of their day to day contact is with workers under their supervision. It's a tough balancing act to give at least a nominal appearance of concern for workers around you while still doing the bidding of your superiors. Unfortunately, few of them can be like Old Fred, happily playing on the computer while the fire burns in the background. Tim, would you throw another log on the fire?

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