RE: Re: Sticking point

Stefan, Susan,

I missed the OP so I'll respond both it and the comments.

> > The managers don't want me to be a yes-woman.  In fact, I've 
> > never, ever met a manager who wants yes-people around.  
> > Managers want new ideas and new perspectives - they don't 
> > always know how to get them.  

I've always found that the good managers I've worked for want
new ideas and perspectives - on some things. On others they 
don't. And even where they do, but don't know how, they can
often be the cause of not getting the input they claim to want.
 
> > VPs and Directors don't understand why the employees are 
> > afraid of them.  They don't understand why few people will 
> > tell them the unvarnished truth about what is going on.  They 
> > don't want to be surprised later.  They want to be able to do 
> > something before it becomes a crisis.
> 
> Just been through an exercise like that.  "The door is always 
> open" they say
> but unfortunately there is often a high border stone in front.  Hierarchy
> creates a distance, I don't think it can be avoided unless the 
> person higher
> up comes down.  The best managers see their employees, not the other way
> round (that's my personal stance).

This matches my experience. Someone who just says the door is
open and doesn't understand why people won't walk through it
is simply naive. One of the hardest things about moving into
management is the distance it creates. Those who try to deny
it are... in denial. The manager needs to accept the aura that
surrounds him, accept his new role and find new ways to connect
with employees. Complaining about people's "attitudes" is like
complaining about the weather.

> > In my experience, these people are always open to hearing 
> > about new ways of solving their problems.  I've never, ever 
> > been afraid to passionately make suggestions.
> 
> Me neither, I've been there as well.  Tell them about facts and
> alternatives, even if there isn't an immediate reaction and it can take
> months before they come back, they do come back.

I once had a boss who was one of the smartest people I ever met.
He came into a completely new field to him - utility financing - and
essentially mastered it in a matter of a few months. He was open
to all kinds of input and allowed me to ask questions and make
suggestions that challenged what we were already doing.

He had a blind spot regarding one group of employees. This group
had some real things to complain about - their workloads had been
increased, their pay reduced and their union's attempt to challenge
those actions had lost. My very intelligent boss would frequently
say "I don't understand why the XXXX group doesn't trust us." I
never felt safe enough to explain it to him, and neither did anyone
else who was in his confidence. Sad. True. Possibly common.

Charlie Poole
[email protected]
www.pooleconsulting.com
www.charliepoole.org




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