Problematic management
From PLN
Problematic management
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Many articles in PLN speak to ways to improve your strength as a manager or leader. What about weaknesses?
A few highlights from these notes (from outside the library field):
- Bad bosses show a range of common behaviors, most commonly failing to keep promises, failing to give credit where due and giving employees the cold shoulder.
- Job addiction is a problem in general, maybe more so for managers (as they expect employees to be as workaholic as they are).
- Playing favorites helps nobody in the long run.
- Many managers are risk-averse.
New leaders: what kind of boss are you?
- by Leslie Dillon from Leader's Digest May 2008
Are you a new boss? How "do you make sure that you don’t repeat the bad habits of the old bosses who drove you crazy?" Bill Taylor, writer, editor and cofounder of Fast Company, says you need "to develop solid answers to five make-or-break questions:"
- Why should great people want to work with you? Top leaders know that the most talented staff want to work on exciting projects and to make an impact. Great people want to be "part of something greater than themselves."
- Do you know a great person when you see one? It's easy to be "the right kind of leader" if your department is "filled with the right kind of people." "When it comes to evaluating talent, character counts for as much as credentials. Do you know what makes your star performers tick--and how to find more performers who share those attributes?"
- Can you find great people who aren’t looking for you? The best performers are usually "in jobs they like." So if you hire only people who are actively looking for jobs, you "risk attracting malcontents and mediocre performers." Instead you need "to win over so-called 'passive' jobseekers'---people from different departments or organizations.
- Are you great at teaching great people how your organization works? Your "most highly focused specialists (software programmers, graphic designers)" do their best when they understand how the whole organization operates.
- Are you as tough on yourself as you are on your staff? Talented young people have high expectations—for themselves and their organizations. "Which is why they can be so tough on their leaders."
"The ultimate challenge for a new boss who is determined not to be the same as the old boss is to demonstrate those same lofty expectations—for their behavior as leaders.
(Bill Taylor, "Memo to a young leader: what kind of boss are you?," Game Changer, Harvard Business Blogs, May 3, 2008.)
How to resist the urge to overreach
- by Leslie Dillon from Leader's Digest May 2008
Have you taken on too much? Many of today's leaders are at risk of overextending themselves and subsequently burning out. They need to take a look at their responsibilities and make sure they're "dedicating the right resources and attention to the right things." Burnout affects performance. And "when your performance suffers, you lose control of your agenda."
Paul Michelman, director of content for Harvard Business, offers the following pointers to help you "resist the urge to overreach and remain firmly in control of defining your priorities."
Ask yourself these questions:
- Which of my responsibilities have the greatest impact on my team and my organization?
- Which does my boss think are most important?
- Which might affect my personal success the most?
- Which will have the worst consequences if I don't attend to them?
At the top of your list put the "projects that serve the broadest cross-section of these constituencies."
Delegate tasks that don't require your immediate supervision. As you make assignments, "think carefully about the match between employees' skills and the tasks you're giving them. Also be sure you direct them to the right resources. This may seem obvious, but...they are easy to overlook."
Even after you've delegated some work, you'll still have to say no. Some things that aren't important to you will be to others. When you do say no, be sure you can explain why. "The best answer is often found when you consider the consequences of saying yes--namely, destroying your ability to get higher-priority jobs done well and on time."
(Paul Michelman, "How to resist the urge to overreach", ConversationStarter, Harvard Business Blogs, May 7, 2008.)
Bad bosses
- by Leslie Dillon from Leader's Digest January 2007
A study at Florida State University documents the effects of bad bosses on employee health and job performance. The study surveyed more than 700 people who work in various jobs and generated the following results:
- 31% of respondents reported that their supervisor gave them the "silent treatment" in the past year.
- 37% reported that their supervisor failed to give credit when due.
- 39% noted that their supervisor failed to keep promises.
- 27% noted that their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers.
- 24% reported that their supervisor invaded their privacy.
- 23% indicated that their supervisor blamed others to cover up mistakes or to minimize embarrassment.
("Most returning to work for a bad boss", Associated Press, as cited by MSNBC, Jan. 2, 2007.)
Are you addicted to your job?
- by Leslie Dillon from Leader's Digest April 2007
Forty-four percent of Americans consider themselves workaholics, according to a recent Gallup Poll, and employee burnout costs the U.S. economy about $300 million a year. Chances are you know someone who is overworked, or you may be yourself. Here are some telltale signs of workaholism:
- Failure to use vacation time
- Refusal to stay home when ill
- Inability to delegate work
- Tendency to seek control of group projects
These behaviors can hinder development of other employees and injure team dynamics and relationships. "Despite the appearance of being a hardworking employee, the workaholic is costly... A person with healthier work habits would be more desirable." An industry expert "encourages managers to consider work/life balance as the wheels on a car...work, family, leisure and personal health...are four tires that need balancing."
Workrave.com offers a free downloadable program that can regulate breaks for you. It reminds you to take coffee breaks, stretch and stop working for the day. The program keeps track of how many times you skip breaks and can help end bad habits that lead to stress and the onset of repetitive stress injuries. ("Are you addicted to the job?", managesmarter, Sales & Marketing Management, Mar. 16, 2007.)
What holds leaders back
- by Leslie Dillon, from Leader's Digest June 2007
Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, co-author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful (Hyperion, 2007) discusses some of the 20 behaviors that hold leaders back.
One of those behaviors involves wanting to win. Winning isn’t the problem; it’s wanting to win all the time. What’s important is to win the big stuff; don’t bother to try to win the trivial stuff. As you move up, let others win. Before you speak, stop and breathe; ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” Most of the time it’s not.
Playing favorites is another behavior that needs to stop. People don’t recognize that they play favorites, but it’s widespread and it creates an environment where people are taught to suck up. We say we don’t like suck-ups, but when Goldsmith asks clients who gets the most attention at home, it’s usually the dog. Why? Because the dog is a suck-up!
Do you play favorites? To see if you do, take this little test. Rank order your direct reports four ways:
- How much does this person like me?
- How much is this person like me?
- Rank each person in terms of their contribution to the organization and its customers.
- How much positive recognition do I give each person?
You’ll see that recognition is more highly correlated with items 1 and 2 than with item 3.
What are the consequences of playing favorites? It’s a big waste of time. It’s not productive. Bosses start believing the sucking up, and they get positive recognition for their dysfunctional behaviors.
Additional challenges include:
- Adding too much value (the higher you go, the more your suggestions become orders, so be careful what you say)
- Making destructive comments (even if it’s true, it’s not worth it)
- Exalting our vices as virtues (it’s just part of who we are)
Listen to what everybody says. It takes awhile, but behaviors can be altered. The motivation for change comes from within.
(Interview, HBR Ideacast, Harvard Business Online, May 31, 2007; Marshall Goldsmith, “Three habits that hold leaders back and how to overcome them,” Harvard Management Update, June 2007.)
Risk aversion
- by Leslie Dillon from Leader's Digest June 2007
Managers are reluctant to encourage risk-taking by their workers, according to a nationwide telephone survey of 690 employed Americans conducted for Princeton, NJ-based consultancy BlessingWhite. Just 26 percent of respondents say they often are asked by an employer to seek new solutions, and 41 percent report they are never encouraged to take risks. (Inside Training Newsletter, May 31, 2007.)
Related articles
- We got trouble... - an overview for articles on internal difficulties.
- Don't be that boss - Tyler Rousseau offers some guidelines for good managers--based partly on previous experience with not-so-good bosses.
- Forget the OPAC, why does library management suck? - George Needham discusses library management problems.
- In praise of the incomplete leader - Very few of us are good at everything. This discussion considers four areas of leadership.
- Evaluate performance, not people - How should boards evaluate library directors? Jamie LaRue offers some thoughts.
