...Book Review | Book Review | Good Boss, bad boss: How to be the best... and learn from the worst | Ottawa University Organizational Consultation Skills | Erin Smith | 11/18/2012 | | Good Boss Bad Boss wrote by Robert Sutton is the research and stories put together about good and bad bosses, and behaviors in the workplace that led to their successes and failures. This book gives insight and self awareness as part of an ongoing process toward becoming a great boss or leader. Suttons work was directed by three basic questions: His work is directed by three basic questions: If you want to be a Good Boss, what do you need to accomplish day after day, If you have a Bad Boss, what can you do about it, and In short, what are the hallmarks of a Good Boss, and worst flaws of a Bad Boss? (Sutton, 2010) In the beginning of the book Sutton takes a look at having the right mindset. Being a good boss creates a healthy environment. What is more, a good boss has "more impact on engagement and performance than whether their companies are rated as great or lousy places to work" (Sutton, 2010). Sutton points out that “the leaders of an organization still matters more than the other bosses.” (Sutton, 2010) Sutton points out many points, but one strong point that is a focus is that bosses matter. Sutton stated, “Bosses matter, especially to their immediate followers and in small teams and organization.” He points out that bosses need to act as if they are in control even when...
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...of others. A good boss creates clear focus on desired outcomes, properly equip their operations for high performance and above all build strong working relationships and foster teamwork. He creates a climate where employees receive ongoing feedback and coaching and they strive to maintain a work-life balance. Flexibility, understanding and the ability to listen to the employees makes up some of the important characteristics of a good boss. On the contrary, a leader who criticizes, belittles and disrespects his employees earns the label of a bad boss. A bad boss fails to give recognition for the little things his employee does. Such leaders not only make life miserable for their employees, but hamper organizational performance. No one starts out their career trying to be a horrible boss. Yet, it is amazing to see that a vast majority of the folk seem to accomplish this feat with absolutely no training. It is possible that a good leader turns into bad under difficult situations. This could be personal or professional. Ergo, the perception of whether a boss is considered good or bad, should be based on factors considering the psychological state of the boss and the outlook of the employees being supervised. It is believed that every person has had a bad boss at one time or another during their career. To explore the characteristics of a truly bad boss, one needs to consider the traits his/her boss exhibits, how...
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...feedback is provided to the employee, and then corrective action plans are designed” (Youssef & Noon, 2012). For this assignment I am going to use my mother as an example. In this short paper I will be: describing the occasion in which she was being evaluated, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the evaluation process, and providing at least two strategies to improve the performance appraisal process. My mother works for my Aunt Jane. Jane owns affordable apartment buildings and only has a small staff of five (including herself). My mother is a secretary/inspection worker. She mainly does the secretary work, but once every six months she inspects the apartments (unless it is a problem apartment then it’s done monthly). Jane is pretty laid back when it comes to employer responsibilities. She does not give out yearly raises, evaluations, etc. Rather, Jane goes by a time based example. The ways she looks at it is for every five years she will give out raises if the employee deserves it. Since Jane works side-by-side with her employees, she is always evaluating them on how they do their work. Some strengths of doing the daily evaluations are that the work is always done when it is supposed to be done and it is done the way the boss (Jane) likes it. What Jane does would be considered a performance appraisal. And since Jane knows her employees very well and she is biased on her opinions (she might make excuses for an employee’s lack of work just because she likes them), what...
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...Human Resource Management - Book Review “Managing Your Boss” by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter Harvard Business Review, 2005 Introduction People sometimes do not realize how much their bosses depend on them and many people also do not realize how much they depend on their boss. For example bosses need honesty from manager’s direct reports. People can managing their bosses for very good reasons: to get resources to do the best job, not only for their-selves but also for their bosses and their companies as well. Effective managers take time and effort to manage not only relationship with subordinates but also those with their bosses. This essential aspect of management is sometimes ignored by otherwise talented and aggressive managers. And there are some managers who actively and effectively supervise subordinates, markets, etc assume an almost passively reactive stance when they meet their bosses. With this mutual dependence, effective managers seek out information about boss’s concerns and are sensitive to his work style. Whether see the boss as the enemy or viewing the boss as an all-wise parent. Summary The book is divided into four big parts. First part is Misreading The Boss-Subordinate Relationship. This part provide about how two people can on occasional be psychological or temperamentally incapable of working together, where a personality conflict sometimes only a very small part of the problems. Sometimes people did not realize that their relation...
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...Final essay: Similar conflicts between Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville and The Bridegroom by Ha Jin. In the first story Bartleby, the Scrivener, the narrator talks about this character –Bartlbey- which is hired to copy legal documents in an attorney’s office. At the beginning he works more, faster, and better than everybody else in the office, and the Boss is very happy with him; one day when the Boss asks him to review some of the work that has been done for his co-workers he “prefers not to” do it; he starts refusing to do anything but just to copy documents, at some point he even “prefers not to” review his own work. After a while he “prefers not to” do anything at all, leaving the Boss in shock who does not know how to react or what to do. With this behavior he gets what he wants for long time, until clients and colleagues of the Boss start noticing that Bartleby does not do anything at all, but to stare at the wall. Eventually, the pressure of society makes the boss to leave the office, rent an office somewhere else and leave Bartleby behind. Ultimately Bartleby is taken to prison but the Boss never abandons him, he visits him in prison, and even pays the “grub-man” so he can have a decent meal every day. The question is if he does it because he feels guilty, because somehow he thinks is his fault that he is incarcerated, or because he really cares about him? In the story The Bridegroom the narrator is Old Cheng, he is the head of security of the factory...
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...Memo Review Your name here BCOM/230 August 26, 2013 Instructor name Memo Review Whenever an individual is in any type of a leadership role with their employer, it will be necessary to communicate with other department managers and possibly even upper level management. In this scenario, the boss has requested an overview of LIFO versus FIFO as it would apply to their company. The memo that will be submitted to the boss must be professional. The figures presented in the memo should be as precise as possible so that company officials will not be misled. The use of jargon in a memo is not professional and is not a good idea. Members of the accounting department use jargon when interacting with each another. Jargon and clichés are not uncommon while communicating within your department, but should be avoided when communicating with other department heads and management. This kind of treatment would inform readers that the author doesn't have particular concern for them and the current case is dealt with much in the same manner as others (Lesikar, Flatley, & Rentz, 2008). The memo presented to us for our assignment is an “inter-departmental memo” so the language used in it is acceptable. However, the memo that will be sent to the boss is official correspondence and the content should be presented in a professional manner. The memo alters from casual to official while revising the data. In this scenario, the memo under review is about...
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...Dealing With a Bad Boss: Strategies for Coping Printer-Friendly Version Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services614 by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. Years ago, when I was a marketing manager at People Magazine, we had a boss who drove all his employees nuts. "Pete" would start wandering the hallways at 4:30 to make sure no one left work before 5, he would give assignments but then micromanage them to death, he seemed to enjoy being in everyone's business, and he rarely gave good performance reviews -- unless somehow it reflected back on him. We referred to him as Napoleon Pete. All-in-all, Pete drove everyone in the department crazy, and little-by-little just about every member of the department left. Pete is a perfect example of the workplace axiom that job-seekers join great companies but leave because of bad bosses. Maybe you have a boss who is sexist or racist. Or perhaps a boss who takes all the credit for himself. Maybe your boss thinks you have no life outside work and makes you stay late everyday. Or perhaps a boss who gives out too many tasks with impossible to meet deadlines (or constantly changing deadlines). Maybe your boss is a pathological liar. Or perhaps the boss plays favorites. Bad bosses -- whether ogres, control freaks, jerks, micromanagers, or bumbling fools -- can be found in all organizations. Pop culture loves to make fun of bad bosses, from the pointy-haired boss in the Dilbert comic strip, to the completely...
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...Chapter One Business Now: Change Is the Only Constant Review Questions 1. What factors contribute to the rapid pace of change in business? Is the pace likely to accelerate or decrease over the next decade? Why? 2. What role does entrepreneurship play in the economy? Who stands to gain from the success of individual entrepreneurs? How do other parties benefit? 3. When did American business begin to concentrate on customer needs? Why? 4. How do nonprofit organizations compare to businesses? What role do nonprofits play in the economy? How do they interact with businesses? 5. What are the factors of production? How can economies grow when one or more of the factors is weak? 6. What are the 5 dimensions of the business environment? Discuss the key elements in each area as they relate to U.S.-based businesses. |Dimension of Business Environment |Key Elements | | | | | | | | | | | | ...
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...Boss Good in a Bad Economy By RoBeRt I. Sutton ■ ■ ■ ■ How to Be a 130 Harvard Business Review | June 2009 | hbr.org Serge Bloch T hese are tough times for every boss I know. Fear and paranoia are running wild, not just in financial markets but in workplaces, too. A few weeks back a weary executive at a professional services firm told me how painful it had been to lay off 10% of his people and how he was struggling to comfort and inspire those who remained. When I asked a mutual friend, the CEO of a manufacturing firm, to “show some love” to this distressed executive, he jumped in to help – but admitted that he was wrestling with his own demons, having just implemented a 20% workforce reduction. It was not a coincidence to find two friends in such similar straits; few organizations seem to have avoided them. Even in businesses renowned for having heart, bosses have been forced to wield the ax. NetApp, declared number one in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for 2009, announced it was cutting loose 6% of its employees hbr.org | June 2009 | Harvard Business Review 131 How to Be a Good Boss in a Bad Economy less than a month after the ranking apThe Toxic Tandem peared. Google, top-rated by Fortune in Let’s be clear: It’s never easy to be a 2008, has shed hundreds of full-time emgreat boss, even in good economic times. » It’s not easy being the boss during ployees. And layoffs aren’t the only reaIt’s challenging in part...
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...what it means to be in charge. by Linda A. Hill E Paul Blow the process of becoming a leader is an arduous, albeit rewarding, journey of continuous learning and self-development. The initial test along the path is so fundamental that we often overlook it: becoming a boss for the first time. That’s a shame, because the trials involved in this rite of passage have serious consequences for both the individual and the organization. Executives are shaped irrevocably by their first management positions. Decades later, they recall those first months as transformational experiences that forged their leadership philosophies and styles in ways that may continue to haunt and hobble them throughout their careers. Organizations suffer considerable human and financial costs when a person who has been promoted because of strong individual performance and qualifications fails to adjust successfully to management responsibilities. VEN FOR THE MOST GIFTED INDIVIDUALS, O S S hbr.org | January 2007 | Harvard Business Review 49 THE TESTS OF A LEADER | Becoming the Boss The failures aren’t surprising, given the difficulty of the transition. Ask any new manager about the early days of being a boss – indeed, ask any senior executive to recall how he or she felt as a new manager. If you get an honest answer, you’ll hear a tale of disorientation and, for some, overwhelming confusion. The new role didn’t feel anything like it was supposed to. It felt too big for any one person...
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...Performance Reviews via Social Networks LaTavia Willis Dr. Sherbert HRM 500 May 15, 2012 Abstract In this assignment I will be expressing my views on the reference of social networking and how it applies to the daily supplement of assessing performance and the development of employees. This assignment will describe my response in regards to “If you have regular conversations with people, and they know where they stand, then the performance evaluation is maybe unnecessary.” My views whether I agree or disagree with what the statement presents. I will also be comparing and contrasting the effectiveness of the social network performance review to the following age groups: veterans, baby boomers, generation X and Y. “The biggest payoff of these social network style tools may prove to be better performance by the boss.” To state whether or not this statement justifies the time and cost of implementing these systems and provide a rationale. Finally the discussion in this assignment consist of O’Toole statement: “It has been said that Americans are increasingly overworked.” Whether social network type evaluations aid or hinder the overworked American. This assignment will fully explain all views that need to be answered. Introduction: I agree with the statement, “If you have regular conversations with people, and they know where they stand, then the performance evaluation is maybe unnecessary.” In this assignment my views will be proven. I will also be comparing and...
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...manager, a broader business focus and the introduction of the “dreaded” annual self evaluation and review. I used my literacy skills to write a meticulous and ingratiating appraisal of myself knowing it was not only important for a good pay increase, but would set the tone for a promising relationship with my new boss and distinguish me from my peers. Annual pay raises are awarded based on a merit system. This means the goals established at the beginning of the year must be accomplished by the conclusion of the ratings period in order for an employee to qualify for a pay increase. I used my writing ability, to highlight the goals I met, while downplaying the negative or neutral results on targets that I barely reached. I incorporated favorable customer testimonials and positive employee comments into the results. I expounded on the excellent, shriveled the undesirable and propped up the mediocre. With the application of some subtle formatting ploys, the finished document was strong evidence of my accomplishments and worth, certainly deserving of a significant addition to my salary. My manager critiqued the appraisal, responded to my remarks and wrote his own observations. When he finished, he scheduled a meeting to discuss the completed review. I arrived on time for the discussion. I sat down, my boss smiled as he handed me the evaluation. He said “I’ve saved your review for last”. I wasn’t sure what to make of his comment. I didn’t know him well enough to gauge his...
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...Writing 2 Final Draft 10/14/2014 Reality and the Struggle between Good and Evil We exist, fundamentally conscious of the world around us, but for many it is with blinders. Everyone has their own version of reality, how the world works and how they think the world should work. Quite often we live comfortably in our own realities and sometimes we struggle in them. Reality can differ from person to person and other times our realities match oneanother. Is the world we think we know real, or are we dreaming? Sometimes in living and struggling with our own realities we miss another struggle, the struggle between good and evil. It is an age old struggle between the light and the dark for dominance over our realities. “All wills struggle for domination, independence, and power over one another, which is the source of change in the universe.” (Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil)Such is the case with Blue Velvet and A wild Sheep Chase. In watching Blue Velvet and reading A Wild Sheep Chase we get an inside look at what happens when two conflicting realities butt heads, when light and innocence fights head on with dark and evil. In Blue Velvet and A Wild Sheep Chase, the main characters become involved in mysteries. They both lead seemingly normal, simple, even boring lives. Absorbed in their own realities of how their worlds work. In both stories the main characters are forced to become involved with scary, powerful men. One throws himself into the mystery, willingly and the...
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...Right-Away, Benton chose to accept a lower-paying, a junior position at Houseworld because of the company’s greater prestige and reputation for offering excellent classical marketing training in a structured environment (Weber, 1994). Benton’s new boss, Deborah Linton, offered a cool reception. Linton made clear during their first meeting with Benton that she did not like Harvard MBAs and gave the impression that she had no time to help train and familiarize her new team member. Instead, Benton was shown around by Linton’s other report, associate product manager Ron Scoville, who struck her as arrogant and whom also was cynical of MBAs. This paper will discuss and assess Linton’s leadership approach, make recommendations on how Linton can build an effective team, determine the reason behind Lisa Benton’s ineffectiveness to influence her boss and colleagues, and finally discuss incidents Lisa could have handled differently and offer recommendations to get her career back on track. Introduction Lisa Benton was frustrated and dissatisfied with her new job at Houseworld where she started by a lack of responsibility and poor relationship with her boss, Linton, a colleague Ron Scoville and recently with the reveal of her negative performance review. Benton was concern of her career in Houseworld and was thinking of calling her former supervisor Kingston, of Right-Away Stores. During her first weeks at Houseworld, Benton developed a good relationship with others in the company. However...
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...reviewing the five different theories I have review the two articles for a case study to determine the theories the businesses used. “Two Men and a Lot of Trunk” article; I believe the owner Mary Ellen Sheets was using the Maslow’s hierarchy theory. Mrs. Sheets was just trying to help her son’s out to begin with; then after they no longer wanted to do the moving business, she kept receiving inquires about local moves that made here buy a trunk for moving people. I see it as Mrs. Sheets kept this company going for her own psychological needs to be satisfied. It made here proud when she knew people were being treated with respect and getting what they pay for. While Mrs. Sheets began to run this company and providing a service to move people she saw great respect and provided her with psychological rewards. Mrs. Sheets saw a great need for moving locally. By providing a good respectful service that was helping people and in return satisfied her needs to feeling appreciated with respect, therefore this case study could also be the expectancy theory. Mrs. Sheets approach to creating high-performing teams within the company was with rewards and proper training. One of Mrs. Sheets statements was she wanted her movers to treat all the customers as they would their grandmothers; with the utmost respect (Jones,2007). The other case study of “Siemen’s New Boss” was definitely not the same as “Two Men and a Lot of Trunk.” The Siemen’s New Boss”, was more direct toward the Management by...
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