April 30, 2010 at 10:47 am
. If the manager is good, issues have probably been addressed, you may feel comfortable speaking your mind about issues, and you are probably more content.
Exactly my point, if you are not able to talk frankly with your boss about your career and where you want it go, then a very bright RED light should go on for you... Going to a third party is not really going to change things for you and in the long run you might even be a future target for a layoff:Nowadays, with the economy the way it is, companies are just looking for any reasons to cut staff. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
April 30, 2010 at 11:12 am
As many have said, I think the real answer to that question is based highly on the level of integrity of whomever gives the interview. As the employee being interviewed, I would not be interesting in opening my big mouth if (A) I did not feel I could trust the interviewer, and (B) that any positive action would come from it.
However, another and maybe more interesting question is: As a manager/leader, would you implement a "stay interview" yourself? Personally, I definitely think the idea has merit, especially when it can positively affect moral. As I see it, one of the main points as the manager/leader is to correctly identify actionable opportunities from these interviews, and implement the necessary changes, so that the employee feels like his/her opinion has weight and value. Making an employee feel valued goes a long way. 😉
I appreciate that this topic was brought up... it has definitely got me a thinkin'...
April 30, 2010 at 11:25 am
Given the consensus on this topic, these are the questions I'm left with:
If you were promoted or hired into a "bad" management environment, you of course being the "good" manager, how might you encourage feedback and develop trust?
So HR is not listening either, and you haven't found the dream job yet, any ideas on how to use system, no matter how bad, to get yourself heard?
April 30, 2010 at 11:32 am
WolforthJ (4/30/2010)
Given the consensus on this topic, these are the questions I'm left with:If you were promoted or hired into a "bad" management environment, you of course being the "good" manager, how might you encourage feedback and develop trust?
So HR is not listening either, and you haven't found the dream job yet, any ideas on how to use system, no matter how bad, to get yourself heard?
Good questions!
Have you read "Speed of Trust" by Covey Jr.? The other book I would recomend is "Crucial Conversations". Both address a lot of this.
April 30, 2010 at 11:52 am
I tend to weigh in with Steve, "So what's the point". As good managers already have this covered and bad managers don't care.
It is the manager's supervisor's job to know what is happening with employees under his immediate reports. So the management tree should have this covered, but in the real world it doesn't always work that way.
Here is a bit of humor that, in my opinion pretty much says it. If a tree is full of monkeys and the top monkey looks down all he sees is smiling faces looking up at him, but what does the monkey at the bottom of the tree see if he looks up?
Point being if the Person in charge doesn't get out in the trenches with the workers he has no way of know what is going on. Good managers have figured out how to do this.
April 30, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Here is a bit of humor that, in my opinion pretty much says it. If a tree is full of monkeys and the top monkey looks down all he sees is smiling faces looking up at him, but what does the monkey at the bottom of the tree see if he looks up?
There is another one just like this. "The only dog in a dog sled that can see where he is going is the LEAD dog. Every other dog is looking up the back of another dog's ***". 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
April 30, 2010 at 1:29 pm
If you get them all to line up nose to rear, then you're lucky. It's been said that managing IT developers is like trying to herd cats.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
April 30, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I agree with you absolutely, in the ideal world. Now, the real world is a much different story. Bad managers fire good people all the time! Why? because they usually can. I have not seen this work in reverse in the real world too many times at all. 😀
I've seen this work on many occasions. Sure, some poor managers have killed off a good person or two prior to getting discovered. But having a "Manager Feedback" process in place & perhaps an "Employee poll" is a good way to weed those problems out. Its easier to pinpoint a problem when the majority of the team are unhappy.
It is also worth mentioning that sometimes "Poor" Employees & "Poor" Managers are nothing more than a mis-match of "how they like to be managed" with the managerment style of their manger. I once complained about my worst employee to a sibling manager who thought she had the most useless employee in her team. So we swapped them. The guy she gave me was brilliant, one of the best guys I've ever worked with. She too, was esctatic with the women I gave her. I wanted someone with innitiative & she loved to micro-manage people who like to be told what to do next. It was an interesting & very valuable experience for the 4 of us.
May 1, 2010 at 3:09 am
A friend of mine went through this at his company and the boss just said if you don't like it to find somewhere else to work.
This is the best advice I've read in this thread. You are responsible for developing your talent & becoming invaluable. You should feel comfortable talking to anyone from the CEO down about how to improve your company & the service it offers. Ensure you are giving feedback to the person who can actually do something with it. Do your research first. And once they've heard your thoughts, if they ignore them, don't bring them up again & again, they disagree with you. Find a new angle or solve another problem.
And if they fire you because of it. Find a better company. There a heaps of really good companies out there, why put up with a crappy set of mediocre managers. You only have one life. You should enjoy going to work each day.
NB: you will be surprised, very few people are prepared to do this, Often managers & other appreciate well thought thru feedback & fresh ideas.
May 1, 2010 at 7:41 am
I once complained about my worst employee to a sibling manager who thought she had the most useless employee in her team. So we swapped them. The guy she gave me was brilliant, one of the best guys I've ever worked with. She too, was esctatic with the women I gave her. I wanted someone with innitiative & she loved to micro-manage people who like to be told what to do next. It was an interesting & very valuable experience for the 4 of us.
Interesting solution David. It never occured to me.
May 3, 2010 at 8:47 am
I think "stay interviews" are a good idea. At my company we have quarterly online anonymous surveys that go out to each employee asking how we feel about the company. I wouldn't mind a face-to-face interview with someone outside the company though. This would allow for better criticism and offer a more complete picture back to management since the online surveys are very canned in the responses that you can give and the topics discussed. You would be able to spill your guts more to an actual person especially if it is anonymous and that person has no allegiance to your company. I think most people don't really say what they think because they are afraid of the consequences. I know I have answered surveys with that in mind many times.
May 3, 2010 at 9:22 am
Kenneth Wymore (5/3/2010)
...I wouldn't mind a face-to-face interview with someone outside the company though. ...You would be able to spill your guts more to an actual person especially if it is anonymous and that person has no allegiance to your company. I think most people don't really say what they think because they are afraid of the consequences...
So, how would you determine "allegiance to the company"?
The company, after all, is footing the bill for the interview, survey, and report. The contractor is beholden to the company and they want continued business. Savvy contractors and consultants are pretty well versed in following the money and reading the intent of upper management; they will deliver to the company what the company wants whether it be real answers, a list of malcontents, or an ego stroking.
If there is no trust between the interviewee and the company, the truth will not out.
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