February 6, 2008 at 8:49 am
Good feedback and glad you're not afraid of giving it here! 🙂
Andy has a good point in that executives don't want to share until they've already decided, and what's the point of questioning things? That's probably true, but if you want to get buy in, motivate your troops/reports, and have them marching in your direction, they have to feel some ownership. If you just want to lay down edicts without regard for anyone's opinions, it's insulting to ask for that opinion.
I can see middle managers not being leaders, but C-levels should be leaders. Especially at the pay rates they demand.
February 6, 2008 at 9:20 am
I can see middle managers not being leaders, but C-levels should be leaders. Especially at the pay rates they demand.
Yes, Steve, and sad but true, especially in places where those middle managers rise (to the level of their incompetence...wasn't there a book about that? :w00t:) to become those C-levels.
Rare is the middle manager who leads. Fortunate is the employee (me) of one who does. He provides the direction that some other cannot seem to. And while there would be advantages to having him at C-level, it is much more effective to have leadership WITH the troops than behind the lines.
Mine would also just jump in the plane and fly it. Not because he needs to test an individual, but because he empowers his subordinates to do the right thing. If leadership can be loosely defined as the willingness of the lead to follow the leader into battle, I'm ready as long as it is my boss. Beyond that...
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Buy the ticket, take the ride. -- Hunter S. Thompson
February 6, 2008 at 10:09 am
I was in those situation before. When no one asked questions after the VP gave the speech, that meant the employees did not care what the VP said and they did not trust the company. Would the employees do what the VP said in the speech? The answer was 'NO'. 🙂
The employees just cared about their jobs and probably got fed up with the management.
February 6, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Mine would also just jump in the plane and fly it. Not because he needs to test an individual, but because he empowers his subordinates to do the right thing. If leadership can be loosely defined as the willingness of the lead to follow the leader into battle, I'm ready as long as it is my boss. Beyond that...
But that's the whole point, isn't it. It's not about being tested. It's about being trusted, and knowing you're trusted. And people who are wholly expedient don't understand trust.
February 6, 2008 at 1:37 pm
No alias. I'm convinced that almost all people have been burned or seen friends burned by management, not for the good of the company (which would make some sense) but for the sake of a manager. Every single manager needs to realize that they live with that legacy. Any evidence that the manager might be ready to burn his or her people for that and their credibility will go from shot to totally shot.
The problem is that it is in the best interest of the company (and only moderately of the employee) for the company to get honest feedback from their employees. But idiot managers over the years have killed any semblance of honesty from their employees.
Russel Loski, MCSE Business Intelligence, Data Platform
February 14, 2008 at 11:20 am
After serving 14+ years in the U.S. Air Force, I definitely concur with the previous comments about military leaders. While I was in the Air Force, I was able to work with many civilian contractors and could see a difference in management/leadership style from the military (except in some cases where the management was formal military members).
Currently I work for a small company and I am 2 levels from the top management. This does allow sharing of ideas and problems easier.
Steve didn't mention the length of the call, but from my experience with that many people, often if the speech/meeting was lengthy, people won't want to prolong the meeting with questions. I wish people would ask them, but usually when one does, others will start grumbling.
Ian.
"If you are going through hell, keep going."
-- Winston Churchill
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