Advice to (what appears to be younger) posters: Not everyone is equal at work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread depresses me as a manager.

Of course team conflict matters. It impacts morale and performance.

I have rules I run my teams by:

1) If you did the work, you present it. Even if it's to senior management. I'll coach you, and I'll step in if t goes sideways but there's no need for hierarchy most of the time.

2) Get shit done. I don't care if you work from home, from your yacht or half drunk so as long as the work is completed and completed well. You are done at 2pm? Cool. Go have a beer, I don't care. It's not done and you go have a beer? I care.

3) Try and solve your own problems when you can. If you need me, call me. I'll help. But if you don't tell me, I can't help and I can't be expected to know every detail going on at all levels.

4) Never leave me surprised in front of my boss and I'll never leave you hanging either. If something is fucked, tell me. I'll respect you for telling me and I'll do something to improve it - or at least I'll tell you why I can't fix it. Tell me nothing and it blows up, I'll be disappointed.

5) I don't care what your last performance review said, good or bad. You get a fresh slate with me. In fact, I'm not even going to read it so as not to color my perception.

6) My prof goals is based on how my business results are but my personal goals are measured in how happy my teams are. I'd rather have a kick ass happy team and less income than the opposite. Success for me is 0% turnover and my door being beat down to join my team. I tell my teams to think about that the next time they aren't sure how I'll react to something.

7) I pay for performance. Do good work, I'll make sure you get what you deserve. No "time in role" or "when was the last time you got promoted" crap. Top performers deserve to be treated as such, or the market will eat them. Flip side is, if you aren't in that group I'll tell you bluntly why and I hope you respect me for it. Most managers will shy away from that conversation and just want you to stick around.

Oh, man, thank you so much for this post. My head was about to explode with all the negativity in this thread. Would rather work with you than anybody else who has posted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"I can't be writing what the rules are because my rules vary from player to player. It's like I told Lawrence: In Dallas we had a linebacker named John Roper who got cut for falling asleep in a meeting. If Troy Aikman fell asleep in a meeting, I'd go over and whisper, `Wake up, Troy.' "

--Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, on what he expects of new running back Lawrence Phillips, a player with a history of trouble with the law who was cut by St. Louis for breaking numerous team rules.

True that!

BTW: most players can be replaced. Not everyone is a game winning player.

[Anonymous]

I love this thread. I am a Senior Manager.
Employees have to remember the company is paying them $50,000, $70,000, $90,000 plus benefits, so they better always be thinking "what can I do for my company, how can I be valuable to them"

If you are truly an overachiever, your bosses will know it eventually. The trouble is most employees "think" they are overachievers, even when they aren't.

And most employees are replacable. I work hard to make sure my 2-3 top employees are happy, rewarded, thanked. On the flip side, I'm also good at ignoring underperformers, being inflexible, being over-critical, basically so they quit. Then I can hire a better worker.