Disagreement on a style of management, or a disagreeable style of management?

Dear Bob …

PowerPoint tips?  Geezzeee Bob, material must be getting thin.

How about “How to deal with a manager who can’t spell Internet, but is promoted to be the Director of Internet Communications?”  Or, “How to manage a corporation with no CEO?”  (meaning one that makes the “pointy-haired boss” look great!)

I don’t have any great words of wisdom except if you are like me, you have learned to keep your mouth shut and don’t trust anyone.

I’m the type who doesn’t call a spade a spade – I call it a friggen shovel so pick it up and get some work done. My business mentality grew up in the early 1980’s, under a VP who people cowered before. A screamer, a cusser, a downright b____ to work for.

But year after year, we had the #1 rated service organization in the business. He and I got along fine. Because I didn’t take his tantrums to heart – I turned them on him and screamed and cussed right back. We got along great. And so did our organization. The guy asked me to house-sit for him when he went on vacation!

Then, two terrible things happened. He died tragically in a car crash. And I never got over his style of management. Needless to say, that style is totally taboo these days. I have lost more than one job by just speaking my mind in a professional fashion. I’d have been handcuffed and led away by a SWAT team if I would have talked like I was used to talking!

I will always remember him for the guts and compassion he showed. And I will always be disappointed that his style of management has gone the way of the dodo. Countless organizations would be better off today if they had the benefit of someone who kicked tail and took names. Alas, it leaves me and probably some others,

– Stuck in the 80s”

Dear Stuck …

I had a dozen requests to cover PowerPoint in response to my columns on good writing.

To answer the rest of your letter, I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say. I’m going to start with a semi-rhetorical question: What is most important to you in the people who report to you? Rank the traits:

1. Competence to do the work assigned to them.

2. Creativity in developing solutions to difficult challenges.

3. Ability to work with others productively and constructively.

4. Thick skin and an ability to blow off bullies.

If #4 is what’s most important to you, then management by screaming and cussing is just fine. If, on the other hand, you want employees who are merely good at what they’re supposed to do, this sort of self-indulgent, bullying management is just about the worst way possible to attract them and keep them. I’ve worked for screamers. I’ve yelled back, insulted back, and otherwise blown off their nonsense.

And in every case I’ve left as soon as practicable, on the theory that I’d prefer to work for a competent leader and manager.

You say you’ve lost more than one job by speaking your mind as a professional. It’s entirely possible – more than one business culture prefers getting along to dealing with the evidence unflinchingly.

I’ve also run across any number of people who conflate “the truth” with their own personal perspective. If you’ve lost more than one job by “speaking your mind,” you might want to ask yourself whether the problem was with the organization, or with your message, or with how you delivered it.

In particular, I’d ask these two questions:

1. When you speak your mind, do you keep your focus on the issue at hand as opposed to the people in the room? and

2. When you speak your mind, do you present your opinion as just one perspective, among many others that might also be valid when viewing the situation from other perspectives?

If the answer to either of these questions is no, I’d advise you to re-think how you go about speaking your mind. Among the many reasons for doing so, this one stands out: You aren’t paid to be right. All that achieves is to allow you to say, “I told you so,” later on.

You’re paid to help the organization be right enough, and that means learning to be persuasive instead of merely forceful.

– Bob