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Normally this blog is all about giving the reader advice. Not this week. This week I'm going to ask you to return the favor. I'm asking you for advice. (Full disclosure: I already asked one of these questions on #libchat, but I thought I'd ask you all as well.)
- What management behavior is your biggest pet peeve as an employee? (This could be from the past or present.)
- Think about your favorite boss of all time and tell me something that made you enjoy working for him/her?
Biggest management pet peeves:
ReplyDeleteLack of regular communication. I've had jobs where I went nearly 2 months without actually speaking to my boss. This makes it hard to gauge if I'm doing a good job or a terrible one. If possible, I like a quick weekly status meeting but even every other week is good.
Related to this, regular performance reviews. In this same situation, I actually didn't receive an annual (or any other kind) of review. When I finally did, it included something I did wrong from nearly two years ago. It's hard to take something seriously and I felt it impacted how I responded to my overall review.
Not taking the time to acknowledge when someone does something extra or goes out of their way. This is something, as a manager, I try to always be mindful of. If any of my employees go out of their way or really step up to help me, I make sure they know how much I appreciate it.
Thinking back on some of my best managers, I think they did a combination of these things and did so regularly.
This is helpful, thanks. Good to know that the stuff I did as a professor will translate over to management.
DeletePet Peeve: when managers don't take the time to understand their employees' job descriptions and work load. In the past, I had a (non-library) manager who asked me to do things that were 1) wildly above my pay grade; 2) wildly below my pay grade or 3) a project I'd already completed because they didn't take the time to understand what I do on a day-to-day basis.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, I remember a previous library boss who managed a department of about 10 people. She could not only tell you exactly what each person did, but also something about their personal lives and interests. I appreciated her effort to know us all as people and not just employees.
Personal connections are hugely important, so thanks for reminding me.
DeleteBoth of the previous comments make great points.
ReplyDeleteRelated to Michael's ideas, I recently read "How Full Is Your Bucket" by Tom Rath and its points can be applied to both work and life situations but deals a lot with making sure people know that you recognize their strengths and good deeds. It's a great and SHORT read.
One of my more recent pet peeves was being given a large list of to-do's on my first day of work and receiving zero or little feedback as I completed those tasks. If they were so important, I was expecting some feedback or follow up tasks.
Also, poor delegation. I work for a family member on the weekends at a store and she constantly tells me to do things and then redoes it when I'm not looking. Or tells me to do something and then just does it herself if I ask for clarification. Both make me want to throw my hands up and walk out.
Great questions and I look forward to more responses from people!
Delegation has always been hard for me, but I know I can't do it all. Thanks!
DeletePet peeve: failure to communicate. If there is something important going on in the library, even if it is something that does not directly involve me, please tell me. Preferably send out an email to everyone on staff. Major technology upgrades, big meetings, changes to policies are things that everybody should know. And if I don't know them, it's not only embarrassing for me personally, but it makes the whole library look bad if we aren't all on the same page.
ReplyDeleteAs far as great management goes, one of the previous commenters mentioned this, but receiving acknowledgement for times when you've really stepped up your game or even just done your job well goes a long way.
Failure to keep everyone in the loop is a big pet peeve of mine as well. Thanks for your input!
DeleteBiggest Pet Peeve: Pretending to listen to employee concerns. Management is not about putting in the time. It is about actually listening and having some compassion.
ReplyDeleteSecond Biggest Pet Peeve: Not knowing the work-flow of the department...or even caring.
Third Biggest Pet Peeve: Not enough information. Too much is prefered over too little.
My favorite boss would take us to happy hour.
Happy hour = doable.
DeleteI'll echo others and say communication, above everything else. Tell me what's going on, please - don't just tell one person on staff and assume that word will get around. Also, do not withhold information, especially on matters that directly relate to my job.
ReplyDeleteNumber two - please treat everyone fairly and equally. Rules should apply to *everyone*.
My favorite boss and I would check in every day (okay, so we were a small department, so that made it easy). When I got to work in the morning, I would wander into her office and we'd shoot the breeze, talk about what was going on with us (inside and outside the office), discuss pressing issues that had recently come up, and talk about what we were planning on working on that day. She stood up for me and our department a few times in situations where it was crucial to know that someone had my/our back. I trusted her implicitly.
A boss standing up for his/her employees is huge. Thanks for the reminder!
DeletePet peeve: trying too hard to please all of the people all of the time. The best bosses listen (really listen) to employee concerns, but they also know when it's time to step up and make an executive decision that some employees might not like. They know how to communicate those tough decisions and the rationale behind them. Nothing gets done otherwise, and who wants to work for an organization that's not going anywhere?
ReplyDeleteI call that managing-by-consensus, and I agree: sometimes a decision has to be made. Thanks!
DeletePet peeve: A boss that doesn't listen to me or make it sound like my concerns are being heard - and I echo the above posters who mentioned feedback. My worst boss made me feel dismissed, as if it didn't matter if I was there or not. Maybe that is my problem - I've always struggled with low self-worth - but I've always tried to make my employees feel appreciated, for that reason.
ReplyDeleteMy best boss still works with me, but I no longer report to him. We are now on a peer level. I still see him as a mentor, though, and look at him as a model for what I want to do with my staff. He's open, honest, friendly, and makes work fun. He handles difficult situations with aplomb and is very positive overall.
Thanks for mentioning fun. We spend so much time at our jobs, it's crucial that we enjoy what we do, and making work fun helps tremendously.
DeleteBiggest Pet Peeve: No recognition. Going through every day like he does not realize I am here, and that is literal many times,too. Everyone needs to be recognized, even if it is on the most basic level, to realize they are a valuable part of their workplace. Employees also need to clearly know where the ship is headed and their part in getting it there.
ReplyDeleteBest Boss: She was gifted at finding the best talents in people and supporting their efforts. She communicated well and was fun to be with every single day. I laughed every day at work. Cannot remember the last time I laughed at my present job. It really is good medicine.
I like the metaphor of the ship. Good way to think about it. Thanks!
DeleteMy biggest pet peeve, both for bosses and co-workers, is behaving dismissively towards their younger, more inexperienced peers. I realize that we young ones are not yet at the apex of professional wisdom, but it doesn't mean that all of our ideas are bad, or that we somehow deserve to be greeted with a higher degree of inattentiveness than my more experienced peers (it is kind of embarrassing how some folks act like we don't notice). We realize we have a lot to learn-but it is wonderful when co-workers and bosses appreciate our perspectives and care about our opinions.
ReplyDeleteMy best bosses have made significant efforts to know their staff as whole people, not just employees. How this is accomplished may depend on the organizational/institutional culture, but it is of very high importance. People are generally freely willing to do much more/better work for bosses who care about them outside the office walls.
I totally agree about knowing the whole person instead of just the employee. Thanks!
DeleteI have a great boss right now! She plays to all of our strengths, because she's actually learned about what all of us are capable of. She's nice, capable, realistic, understanding, and talented. She doesn't micromanage or get upset about little, insignificant things. Because of all this, when she talks, I listen. I know she's not wasting my time when she brings something to our attention. Also, very important: She never asks anything of us that she doesn't do herself. You ever notice managers who try to enforce rules that they themselves don't follow? They never get very far.
ReplyDeleteTotally hear you about being willing to do the work you assign. Thanks!
DeleteBiggest pet peeve, which is almost too big to qualify as a pet peeve: using librarians as pawns in ongoing battles amongst managers and administrators (I wish I were kidding). My direct supervisor would demand to know *exactly* what I planned to say in an upcoming meeting with a higher-up so that she could pre-approve it. Many long thought-out proposals died in administrators' desk drawers lest certain managers get any credit. And so on...basically, a complete vacuum of trust and shared purpose/mission/vision, and certainly nothing in the way of functional communication.
ReplyDeleteMy best bosses have made healthy communication a priority and ensured that I had all the tools and information necessary to effectively do my job. Furthermore, they've supported me, being always willing to step in and take responsibility for addressing larger institutional challenges that went beyond position but had the capacity to profoundly affect my work.
I'm horrified that you've been used as a pawn. Wow.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and I love it! You have so many useful posts! Please keep up the excellent work!
Management Behavior Pet Peeve:
Inconsistency!!!
Lack of fostering a positive work experience or teamwork among employees.
Lack of regular routine staff meetings.
Administering tasks for me to do before I even have my coat off.
Micromanaging when unnecessary.
Favorite Boss:
Constantly kept me aware of what was going on in the library and in the news about libraries in general.
Was constantly advertizing and encouraging opportunities to me.
Resolved any issues at work immediately.
Genuine curiosity about the books I was currently reading and engaged in book discussions with me.
I have to say my absolute favorite boss (is fictional and a little crazy) is Parker Posey in Price Check. She had energy and passion and really wanted everyone to succeed.
Thanks for the kudos!
DeleteAnd I sooooooo hear you about micromanaging. That's one of my pet peeves, too.
Pet Peeve: I had a boss that would send out an email to everyone in my job-class whenever someone did something wrong, but she would never talk to the person face-to-face first. So I would always be wondering if that email was directed at me or not.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I had a boss who didn't like dirty dishes to be stacked in the communal sink. Any time there were any dishes in there (even if it was the middle of the day, with many hours to clean them before we closed) she would throw them away. So we had no dishes. There were so many other ways to deal with that, without leaving us dish-less!
Great management: I love it when my boss takes on the difficult library patrons with me, and then talks to me about it later to go over the situation. I learn so much!
She would throw them away?! Wow. I know I'm going to make mistakes, but that's one I'll never make.
Delete