Your Boss Is Your Customer

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Your Boss Is Your Customer

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TravisDBA SSCoach Points: 15780 More actions · Answer 1

Jeff Moden (12/20/2011)
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, I have got to hand it to you. I don't always agree with you on a lot of things, but that has got to be one of the smartest and accurate quotes I have ever heard on this forum. 😀

"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"

TravisDBA SSCoach Points: 15780 More actions · Answer 2

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.

Well, I guess that is a good thing. My only concern is "If a tree falls in the forest and the manager is not there to hear it, does he even care?" In otherwords. how many Database Managers, Directors, IT managers, CIO's, or even CEOs for that matter, even read your articles? 😀

"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004311 More actions · Answer 3

TravisDBA (12/23/2011)
Jeff Moden (12/20/2011)
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, I have got to hand it to you. I don't always agree with you on a lot of things, but that has got to be one of the smartest and accurate quotes I have ever heard on this forum. 😀

I aim to please. I don't always hit what I'm aiming at, but I'm always aiming. 😀

Thanks, Travis.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

James Stover Hall of Fame Points: 3393 More actions · Answer 4

Andy Warren (12/23/2011)
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!

I see what you are saying...and agree. I take it case-by-case; if I have a great manager I strive to exceed expectations. If I have a mediocre manager, I tend to meet expectations. If I have a terrible manager...well...I treat it as a lost cause and formulate an exit strategy.

I know I have a great manager when he/she says: "We do migrations on a Saturday at midnight. We plan these 12 weeks in advance. You can take time-in-lieu."

In these three lines I know:

1) My boss respects my time

2) My boss knows I have a life outside of work

3) My boss is treating me fairly

4) My boss knows how to plan

5) My boss cares (as much as one can)

James Stover, McDBA