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Welcome To The Big Chair. Now Prove You Deserve It: Kate Southam

This document discusses the challenges of being a manager and provides tips for being a good boss. It notes that while management positions provide higher compensation, the job requires dealing with constant problems from employees. It also reports on a survey that found over 30% of employees rate their managers poorly. The document then gives advice to managers such as checking themselves for "bad boss" traits like bullying, being inconsistent, or not providing feedback. It suggests managers find potential in employees rather than flaws and empower their staff. Finally, it recommends managers identify their own weaknesses and get training in leadership and people management skills.

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88 views3 pages

Welcome To The Big Chair. Now Prove You Deserve It: Kate Southam

This document discusses the challenges of being a manager and provides tips for being a good boss. It notes that while management positions provide higher compensation, the job requires dealing with constant problems from employees. It also reports on a survey that found over 30% of employees rate their managers poorly. The document then gives advice to managers such as checking themselves for "bad boss" traits like bullying, being inconsistent, or not providing feedback. It suggests managers find potential in employees rather than flaws and empower their staff. Finally, it recommends managers identify their own weaknesses and get training in leadership and people management skills.

Uploaded by

junkyard
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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You are on page 1/ 3

WELCOME TO THE BIG CHAIR.

NOW PROVE YOU DESERVE IT


by Kate Southam
Being the boss is no picnic. People come to you with problems, complaints, conflicts and issues
constantly. And then you still have the rest of your job to do as well as a manager of your own
to deal with.
Photo: Warner
Brothers

I get it, but your compensation is a higher salary (sometimes a lot higher), status, perks and
greater control over your work day so suck it up. If you are not up for the job, dont take it on.
And if you are getting overwhelmed, get help.
Australian companies are well-known for selecting managers on their technical ability rather
than their people management skills.
In the mid-90s the Karpin Report followed an exhaustive study into the quality of local
management. It made 28 recommendations including the need to provide training in
interpersonal skills such as communication, negotiation and mediation, conflict resolution,
creativity and the ability to manage change by 2010.
Did we make it? I believe a lot has been done to develop real leadership but you tell me. In
challenging times like the GFC and the current climate of uncertainty, people management is
often the first thing to suffer. (Personally, I worry we are talking ourselves into a GFC2. Lets
not.)
A CareerOne survey of more than 2,000 people carried out by Core Data two weeks ago found
that 36 per cent of people rate their manager as good, 31.6 per cent as average and 32 per
cent as downright horrible. A bad boss drives down productivity and costs a company a lot of
money something organisations can ill afford right now.
In 2006 I watched a very entertaining presentation by David Peake, a director of organisational
psychologist firm Quantum Edge called Bosses or Bastards. Peake looked at the dumb things
companies do that transform productive employees into quit stays (theyve mentally quit but
theyre still on the pay roll) or worse, hostile prisoners, capable of carrying out acts of
sabotage.
Peake told us of an employee who sent out 2,000 letters to customers after replacing the b with
a w in the line: Thankyou for banking with us. Other examples were creating email viruses and
forgetting to pass on information or messages.
He said too many Australian companies still relied on outdated management styles such as
control and command or US-style programs that did not work on Australians.
Do your bit for the economy and be a good boss. Here are a few tips but add your own.
Check yourself for bad boss traits
CareerOne survey respondents said it for everyone when they identified the top bad boss traits:
bullying, belittling employees publicly, being moody, inconsistent, credit stealing,
micromanaging, laziness, incompetence, kissing up to the big boss and never providing
feedback, especially positive feedback.
What is with the silence? In his work, The Shipbuilder: Five ancient principles of leadership
Jack Myrick advised managers to see potential in people rather than flaws, use authority not
power and use the contributions made by employees to make them feel important and valued.
Find a cure for your moronitis
Ive met bosses who think everyone in their team is a moron. Even if that were true its the
managers own fault. Theyre either not hiring the right people in the first place or not
empowering them to do their job.
The latest Hudson 20:20 report reveals 40 per cent of hires in the current climate are the wrong
people. Dont wing the recruitment process. Get help or bone up on how to write job ads, screen
people and reference check. Have a good on boarding process and provide any promised
training so people can actually do the job youve hired them to do.
Fill your gaps
Identify your weaknesses and train up. Educate yourself about leadership and people
management. Look at the basics too such as time management, project management, planning,
administrative skills, budgeting whatever.

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