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previous: Joe Gagan When I owned Gagan Construction Inc... -- 4/29/2003 9:13 AM

Re: Hiring someone

5/6/2003 5:52 PM
LFOscalator	Re: Hiring someone It takes a while to learn how to be a good boss. I cringe thinking about the first time I supervised people. I was a complete jerk. But in a funny way you almost need to go through being a jerk boss once in your life to really understand how to get along with your subordinates. It's a required real life experience. Hopefully I'm better today. The funny thing I learned about being an a**hole boss is that people detect this very easily and will sandbang you deliberately. When you show them respect, they work for you a whole lot better. And respect isn't just telling them they are doing a good job. Rather it has to do with treating them like you want to be treated. I remember reading in the book "The One Minute Manager" that it is usually wrong to constantly reward experienced people with attaboys for every little thing they do. Why? Because they already know they do a good job and feel patronized if they constantly get trivial positive feedback. Looking back at things, I have to say yeah, those trivial attaboys can be real annoying, and they breed the suspicion that there is no real payoff for doing a good job. Of course, for inexperienced people, constant positive feedback is very important. I hate to say it, but as I get older I am less concerned that everybody does the best job possible that contributes the most to the bottom line. I'm more concerned with balancing a good work environment with achieving my own financial success. And if the company does well in the process that is fine also. Obviously to a certain extent, the financial success of the company (i.e., one I don't own) is tied to my own, but not as much as I used to think. LFO

5/6/2003 5:52 PM

LFOscalator

Re: Hiring someone

It takes a while to learn how to be a good boss. I cringe thinking about the first time I supervised people. I was a complete jerk. But in a funny way you almost need to go through being a jerk boss once in your life to really understand how to get along with your subordinates. It's a required real life experience.

Hopefully I'm better today.

The funny thing I learned about being an a**hole boss is that people detect this very easily and will sandbang you deliberately. When you show them respect, they work for you a whole lot better.

And respect isn't just telling them they are doing a good job. Rather it has to do with treating them like you want to be treated. I remember reading in the book "The One Minute Manager" that it is usually wrong to constantly reward experienced people with attaboys for every little thing they do. Why? Because they already know they do a good job and feel patronized if they constantly get trivial positive feedback. Looking back at things, I have to say yeah, those trivial attaboys can be real annoying, and they breed the suspicion that there is no real payoff for doing a good job. Of course, for inexperienced people, constant positive feedback is very important.

I hate to say it, but as I get older I am less concerned that everybody does the best job possible that contributes the most to the bottom line. I'm more concerned with balancing a good work environment with achieving my own financial success. And if the company does well in the process that is fine also. Obviously to a certain extent, the financial success of the company (i.e., one I don't own) is tied to my own, but not as much as I used to think.

LFO