Are you in a job or searching for one? If you already are in an office then this article will mirror directly what you see in the office in your every day routine and if you are searching for a job, you better read this to ensure shock absorption when you get that job you have always wanted. I want to hope that you read our article yesterday about ‘the truth in corporate world’ and if you did not please find it. When you get in an office for the first day, all may be smooth but wait till you settle in and start learning things like office culture and natural groupings or segmentations in the office. At this point you will realize what the world is made up of.
What is it made up of and how do I fit in?
This can trouble you if you do not have very good shocks in your attitude but I will prepare you now because as they say the earlier the better. Just as a pointer, I have worked in more than 7 offices from the time I left university in 1998 and now equipped with a Phd, I think I have the authority to proclaim that I have experience on office politics. My first job was a clerical assignment, followed by a few years in professional services and now a consultant and entrepreneur. Back to the topic, in an office setting there are three types of managers, seniors, leaders or supervisors however you may decide to call them. Anyway, they seem to portray the same characteristics across board despite the name, company or circumstances.
If you are a manager or you occupy any other leadership role in an organization then here is your mirror. There are three types of these people:
1. The good.
2. The bad.
3. The ugly.
Where do you fall? Or where does your senior fall?
Below I want to give a brief description of each group and you will be the judge.
The Good:
These are the figure heads of most junior staff members. They are good examples to the staff and portray characteristics of laissez faire kind of leadership. In the current generation, innovation is the driving force behind generation Y and these managers give them just that. If your targets are set, they will give you the freedom to achieve them within the agreed period. They will always consult with you (the beast of burden) before any assignment and you agree on the objectives. Most of them are sited in their offices or desks pursuing other interests that can be growth opportunities for their protégés like new client assignments. They will always empathize with your situations in case of anything, if an assignment is poorly done, they will carry you along to the office and show you how to do it or do it with them. They will always take pride in the little you can do and will not take credit meanly but rather as a team. These are the most preferred leaders in our corporate world. Ask any junior staff.
The Bad:
These managers are young but very ambitious. They think of themselves ahead of anybody else even family. They will hardly know anything known as ‘work-life balance’ because their ambitions supersede their enjoyment. They are more concerned about climbing the corporate ladder for higher salaries and other selfish interests to an extent that they can abandon family values. The bitter truth is that their couples easily end up cheating on them or they easily lose grip of their matrimonies but they don’t care. They will stress junior staff in the office with petty work. Any small mistake from a junior is exponentially multiplied to a hill from an anti-hill. They will take credit on your work and you take blame for their mistakes. They care less about your problems because they have problems relating to their personal lives. Most of them are not married although the whole office feels that they are of age and if they are, their homes are small hells on earth thus they will aggravate their frustrations on you. Most of them are very bright but others will pretend to be bright. I know you know them and promotions pass them easily because they cannot relate even with small clients. Their social talk is technical knowledge in fields in which they are very good at. Do you see them around.
The Ugly:
These are the worst creatures and enemies of the current generation Y because they are classical in their thinking and everything they do comes from the 80’s. They will never change their mode of operation and even in this world of smart phones and black berry, they will prefer to use files and a hood of paperwork. Just because jobs these days want you to work with a computer, they will be forced to use these gadgets which to them are like torture because they can’t press the keyboard in sequence. You will easily note them because they use one hand on a computer keyboard and will strain at any upgrade done to the company’s software systems. They will always be around the office talking to other bosses making a lot of noise while doing just basic work and expecting the beasts of burden to do the rest. Even clients these days know this kind of seniors because at the mention of the latest technological innovation, they will stammer. They are the worst in appraising junior staff because they don’t spend time with them. They possibly were in the ‘bad group’ during their early 30’s and now they feel they wasted their youth thus will vent at your end year performance appraisals if you crossed paths. The problem is that they make most decisions in departments and the company thus do NOT cross their paths and if you do make sure it is in the right directions.
All this said, many organizations are replacing the ‘ugly’ kind of managers at a very fast rate as you can see always in the news around us. It is unlikely that you meet them in many organizations because they are being forced into early retirement. All you need to do as a good manager is set an example. Always think about the junior staff and let them want to work for because they respect you and not because they fear you.
Are you a role model to clerks, cleaners, consultants, processors or any other junior guys you have around? When you walk into a group of junior staff under you talking about football or fashion, do they change the topic to a technical bit of the office? Monitor these kinds of behaviors and try to be a role model to others. They will in-turn respect you and do your jobs & assignments with vigour.
Have a nice day in the office.
HCC
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