How to Be a Good Boss...

With shows like The Office so popular, one can safely surmise there is a surfeit of bad bosses - and that's not good. Are the real bosses as bad as that guy on TV? Surely not, but those not on TV are lacking enough substance to warrant the creation of a show like The Office. For the sake of those of us who are not self-employed, let's look at the secret recipe for being a good boss. And since people are different, let's assume we are bright, ambitious, and desirous of doing great work. 

Let's start with the what great bosses don't need: they don't need to be great leaders; they don't need to be smart; and they don't need to be politically savvy. 

Leaders are born - not made. This comment will infuriate the trainers/coaches who make money transforming ordinary folk into great leaders but I've been to many such sessions and the only ones who benefit are the outliers. The great ones get greater still while the truly horrid get a tiny bit less bad. Those stuck in the middle, the majority, invariably find themselves in the same place that following Monday; perhaps they cannot remember or aptly apply the lessons. You might think having a really smart boss is a plus but it's not. Big brains rarely exude empathy; instead, they alienate and create barriers. Also, their owners feel that being smart is enough and, again, it's not. Last comes political savvy, a skill as helpful as it can be hurtful - like juggling knives. Time is money and both are wasted when your boss is too busy to help because he's striking a pose with the senior executives. Just do the work and the results will be noticed...

The must-haves for being a good boss is having all of the following qualities: vision; sensibility; and (not or) humor. That's it; anything more is icing on the cake that makes the good great.

Vision, whether it's your boss' or someone else's, is critical for without knowing where you want to go, any path will do. Understanding the strategy makes it easy to know what to do, to see how your work fits in and, perhaps most important, it helps you know what to say no to. Being sensible is largely overlooked these days and that's a shame. Steering employees to think logically and to conduct themselves in the best possible way can make or break a career. In the book Emotional Intelligence, the author told of a US military attache based in Asia who was required to show a propaganda film guaranteed to ruin the relationships he had worked so hard to forge. Rather than not showing it, he complied (at 3 am) a win-win if ever there was one! Last comes humor. In any kind of relationship, sharing a moment of mirth goes a long way; it creates a bond that makes both parties try harder which, in turn, breeds more good work. 

My best bosses have taught me how to think (by their example); they have stretched me with assignments well past my pay grade (perhaps the only good side-effect of downsizing); and they have beaten the tar out of me with words, reviews and the evil eye whenever I failed to live up to expectations. They have also made me laugh, a lot, and this - along with all the other stuff -  made me love (not just respect) them. Maybe it's because my career began with a series of unspeakably bad bosses that the good ones stand out so. Whatever it is, I'm glad to know the difference and to be able to celebrate the great ones in real-time, while I've still got them because who knows what might come next...

The Art of the False Start

As go Arsenal so, too, goes life. This was the title that got me up but it's too football-focused. Instead is a title that speaks to what my team managed to do with their (once) perfect season - blow it all by peaking too soon and failing to live up to lofty expectation. As a parable of sorts, I'll try to use their experience to help all of y'all identify...

How many time have you started so strong that you simply killed noise? Such a strong early performance amazes all involved - as friends, as foes; all (including you) are incredulous and wondering silently or aloud how to keep it up. Comparisons are inevitable; the young Arsenal team of 2008 was acquired/configured on the cheap and dubbed the new "Invincibles," an undefeated Arsenal team of the past. The only response is to turn beet red, look down and say "Aw, Shucks". Even if you have to fake it... 

Whenever we starting new - a project at work, a hobby, a relationship - we begin with excitement and trepidation. Starting from scratch is liberating (like finding fresh powder unsullied by other skiers) and jumping in with or without a plan gives us all the conviction we need. After a few early wins, we grow in confidence and pick up speed. Losses build character and serve to reinforce/rejigger our ambition. As the season began, all Arsenal could do was win; they may have tied a game or two at mid-season but...

Then reality invariably sets in. Losses come (and often mount) and the ever-growing confidence we once had is not so much shattered as it is questioned - which is often worse. "What has happened?" is the necessary question. Poor planning, poor execution, lack of focus, fatigue are all fair replies but knowing why you've failure only goes so far. It's what you do next that matters most. Arsenal may play a beautiful game - resembling Brazil's national team back when they were fit and sober - but winning means requires goals, not just perfect passes. Time to take it up a notch...

At this point are two options: mid-course corrections or the death by mediocrity. Correctly diagnosing the root cause is key, of course, but implementing the fix is where the rubber hits the road. Either you're back on track, doing the things you must to win, or you're not. It's that simple and that difficult. Arsenal has failed, so far, to regain momentum; their title challenge appears lost as is their quest for silverware abroad. Explanations abound but it doesn't matter any more; it's too late...

I am personally disappointed at Arsenal but I'll live just as I have lived through disappointment at my own self over my personal history of lost and/or abandoned projects, hobbies and friends/lovers. Guilt and shame over my guitar, my garden, my goatee (just kidding) - and that's just the G's - could kill a guy but the thing to do is to get up, dust yourself off and try, try again. Be sure to appreciate the effort, learn from your mistakes and next time out, make only new ones...

The Blue Donkeys (April 2008)

Politics, always a contentious topic. No matter what side you're on, there's enough good/bad to make one question their seating arrangement - and the alternatives, too. And despite proudly calling myself a Limosine Liberal I do admit to a few conservative leanings.  For instance, I'm a big believer in freedom of speech but actions such as, say, flag burning is a no-no for me. Also, I don't like the idea of a welfare program that makes it financially unattractive for the family to start working again.

With perhaps a few other exceptions, I'm basically blue. And what with all the colossal (if that's a big enough word to capture all the egregious malfeasance) screw-ups from the current Administration, this should be a great time for us Donkeys. Well, it's not for we have a notorious reputation for blowing the big games and this coming Presidential Election is no different (even my favorite football club, Arsenal, wins the tough ones; sadly, only the tough ones in 2008...).

We have two quality candidates each of whom entered the race with a few "handicaps", some organic in origination, others developed over time. Both would be quite good in the White House; both would be a much better alternative but that's no longer the question at hand. It's now a matter of choice between the parties: our (now) two versus their one, a man who despite his age and dubious Party pandering tactics is not a bad guy at all. 

What will be interesting in the weeks ahead is how the resolution plays out: we have two viable candidates but only one can have the nomination. On one hand is a very hard-working and knowledgeable lady whose life has been spent in politics. Despite the occasional yarn and a name-based legacy that gives her big negative ratings even before she says a word, she could clearly do this job. On the other hand is a terribly bright, young man - and a gentleman to boot - who finds himself coming of age at a very propitious time. He's got good or at least pretty good experience, those who know him love him, those who hate him respect him (mostly) and he, because of his organic past, represents a tapestry that America has had a hard time embracing since, well, forever.

In political races, the "best man" does not always win. In this Century the best man or even the "winner" doesn't even win. In November, the best man may not even be a man but by then it will have already been decided. I hope that the Democrats can rally around not just the best man but the one who will be able to win the national election and make our country great again. If they (if we) cannot, perhaps it's still not yet our time...