December 20, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Your Boss Is Your Customer
December 20, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Gosh, Andy. Although I appreciate where you're going in these articles, that's, what? 4 in a row about how to be a better employee? Let's hear about the other side. Let's hear about how to be a better manager and how to better manage expert staff and schedules. Let's hear about a manager that will wear the tin pants for his or her team and the rewards that will actually bring.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 20, 2011 at 11:24 pm
I have to agree with Jeff. I feel like you are preaching to the choir here. Many of us know that our immediate supervisor and/or manager is actually one of our customers and that we need to keep him/her happy as well as all the other internal and external customers that we serve directly and indirectly.
I would also like to see from our side regarding management and what would make them better at their job in regards to us. As I see it, it really is a two way street.
December 21, 2011 at 1:55 am
Viewing your boss as a customer is not a bad idea (in fact I quite like it), BUT
In my experience, customers tend to give more feedback than most of the bosses that I have had. Bosses are always quick to point out any shortfalls, but a simple thanks for a job well done is something very rare indeed.
Over the years, I think I have had more positive feedback from customers than my bosses (I am trying to avoid using the word "superior" 🙂 ). When I have had a chance, I have addressed the issue and the average reply is "Of course we're happy, if we weren't happy, you would hear about it" or roughly translated "no news is good news" (I just love that one).
So to be quite honest, I prefer dealing with real customers as opposed to the boss-variety and I do agree with Jeff an Lynn: managers should take a closer look at how they can be better at doing what they're supposed to be doing. Many of the shortfalls of the companies that I have worked at have been homegrown due to mismanagement and not due to lack of motivation of the actual workforce itself.
So to phrase it in a rather corny way: not only I should look at what I can do for my boss, my boss should also look at what he/she can do for me. That would be a very solid basis for good customer relations.
Just my five cents.
Thanks for writing the editorial though, it is always good to see things from other people's points of view.
December 21, 2011 at 7:43 am
Personally, I don't plan to pursue being management any time soon, but Andy's comments brought about another idea for me: WE are the management of the future - at least some of us will be. So for those of you who want to be in management, or think you may get thrown into it at some point, working toward being a better employee now will likely help you to be a better manager later as well.
And don't forget - even managers have higher management to report to - they are serving "customers" just as we are.
Have a great day, all! 🙂
December 21, 2011 at 8:15 am
Andy: Great soft skill quick tip.
Since we're wandering into psych territory, I'll note that a person keeping expectations of other people vague and concealed confers a tactical advantage - hence why people do it - customers, bosses, spouses, parents, etc.
It creates a mine field, allowing the tactician the ability to create a wide perimeter of anxiety as people wonder what mine they might step on.
It confers the tactician the rationale to explode on a culprit after repeated offenses of an unknown expectation, conferring advantage and leverage in current and future negotiations.
There's power in being able to say to someone you are cooperating with - "you are not meeting my expectations."
There are also disadvantages - but people do it anyway because it's a pretty potent and successful zero-sum tactic.
I just think that since we're building soft skill awareness, we in the tech industry could also use tactical awareness - not so we use anti-social tactics, but that we become aware of their use on us and find pro-social counter-tactics that ultimately will advance cooperation.
Bill Nicolich: www.SQLFave.com.
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December 21, 2011 at 9:15 am
Keeping an honest boss happy is too easy to do to need explanation.
Keeping a dishonest boss happy is impossible so not worth worrying about.
So I don't really bother with attention on keeping a boss happy. I do my job, I maintain good interpersonal relations with everyone I can (I once had a co-worker I couldn't get along with, but only once), and boss happiness pretty much handles itself in that situation.
I think it comes under the heading of "don't sweat the petty stuff", honestly.
Learn how to get along with people (it's easy), and get your job done. And don't worry about it beyond that.
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December 21, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Great tip. Personally I think you can go both ways with that. Not just think of your boss as customer, but as a manager (or in my case husband and father), what do I expect from my "customers". If I can give them a better list of what I expect, then hopefuly they can give me more of what I want.
Kenneth FisherI was once offered a wizards hat but it got in the way of my dunce cap.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------For better, quicker answers on T-SQL questions, click on the following... http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/[/url]For better answers on performance questions, click on the following... http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQLServerCentral/66909/[/url]Link to my Blog Post --> www.SQLStudies.com[/url]
December 21, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I'd turn this on its head. My customer is my boss. That attitude might upset a few line managers but it would help build bridges between IT departments and the other arms of the business.
As for what makes a better manager?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time bound
December 21, 2011 at 4:59 pm
"It confers the tactician the rationale to explode on a culprit after repeated offenses of an unknown expectation, conferring advantage and leverage in current and future negotiations."
What?? I hope you are being ironic. Communication is a continual cycle of correction of meaning by all parties in the process. The best way for this to occur is via experiential listening and the use of plain English both parties can understand.
In relation to above, I have no idea for sure what you are attempting to communicate, however I have several competing definitions of what I can only guess at. This lack of clarification IS what breeds anxiety and ultimately results in a lack of faith in the communication process. The process may be being used for something that is not in one of the parties best interests or to give the "win-win" situation.
… let it be said I believe you are acting in good faith though (although I have no proof)
🙂
December 21, 2011 at 8:54 pm
When a customer asks you to work 60 hours, they expect to pay for 60 hours. When a boss asks you to work 60 hours, they expect to pay for 40 hours. As long as that disconnect exists: boss < customer.
James Stover, McDBA
December 22, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Where to begin?
If I lower my expectations and raise my commitment and address those things given directly into my hand then I can control things over which I have direct control. Trying to catch/control the whim of the moment is like finding chicken lips in the grocery store.
With regard to customers, I believe there are at least two very famous instances of customers being incorrect: the personal printer and the mini-van.
My understanding is initial customer focus groups in both cases indicated there was zero interest but product managers pushed ahead and the rest is history.
December 22, 2011 at 4:30 pm
I'll definitely be writing some about the other side of the fence next year. I've definitely been working on a theme and exploring the responses. The tactical/political side I think is beyond the scope of what makes sense for SSC hosted content, though it's without a doubt an interesting topic (and one I dabble in often!).
For example, right now I'm thinking that simply saying good boss or bad boss is over simplifying. Equally, saying a boss isn't a customer because they pay you salary instead of hourly isn't looking at the whole picture. I get the sentiment, I really do!
Definitely appreciate the discussion. Good learning for me too.
December 22, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Andy Warren (12/22/2011)
I'll definitely be writing some about the other side of the fence next year. I've definitely been working on a theme and exploring the responses. The tactical/political side I think is beyond the scope of what makes sense for SSC hosted content, though it's without a doubt an interesting topic (and one I dabble in often!).For example, right now I'm thinking that simply saying good boss or bad boss is over simplifying. Equally, saying a boss isn't a customer because they pay you salary instead of hourly isn't looking at the whole picture. I get the sentiment, I really do!
Definitely appreciate the discussion. Good learning for me too.
Andy, it's definitely NOT just about the money. If it were, that would be so easy to fix - just pay for the time. Rather, I chose to give a succinct example of the mindset of the typical boss. Customers may treat you like garbage but at least there is an understanding of quid pro quo. "If you want my balls on a silver platter, then you better pony up some moolah". Bosses on the other hand will make unreasonable demands and expect you to bend to their will with no due compensation (money, time, kudos, promotion, etc.). The notion of quid pro quo is lost. With that fundamental, unspoken agreement broken: boss < customer.
James Stover, McDBA
December 23, 2011 at 6:52 am
James, I hear you. I don't think we're that far apart on this, but I do see it a bit differently. I know those kinds of managers exist, I just think they are a smaller percentage compared to the ones who don't know how to manage!
I've never had the perfect boss or client. Sometimes they have strengths that offset the flaws. Sometimes the team makes up for a bad boss, or perhaps the benefits do. Same with true customers. For the short term my stance is do what I have to to do to pay the bills, but mid to long term if it's not working as an employee or consultant, then I make a change. Over the years I've grown to understand that changing is no guarantee of better, only different - but hopefully better!
It's ok to fire a customer. If you're going to keep a customer then you have to figure out what matters to them. For some it's never being late. For others it might be filling out the TPS report correctly. Then you do the things that makes the customer happy, even if you think it's less important than they do.
It's mildly transformational. Too often boss/employee relationship is close to parent/child, wrong paradigm. What I'm trying to see/coach to is changing the view from the employee perspective, removing the victim aspect, and maybe trying to change the perspective.
It's also, so far at least, not a simple topic, hard to tackle in small bites, hard to do in big bites too!
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