Work Matters

Tag: Good Boss Bad Boss

  • Good Boss, Bad Boss: USA Today and The McKinsey Quarterly

    Over the break, a bit more news came out after I wrote posts on kudos for Good Boss, Bad Boss and the popularity of my list of 12 Things Good Boss Believe over at HBR.Org.

    Last week, USA Today published a pair intertwined stories on workplace bullying, both of which drew on a long interview they did with me (and interviews with a host of other folks too, like Babson's Tom Davenport). The main story was called Bullying By the Boss is Common But Hard to Fix. I think the best part of this story (which, alas, opens with a story about Hooters from the TV show Undercover Boss) is the thoughtful list of why companies fail to take action compiled by journalist Laura Petrecca — it includes impediments including: victims keep quiet, intervention can take time (this is one reason assholes especially get away with their dirty work when teams and companies are under time pressure), discipline can be subjective, legal recourse can be unclear (e.g., it is still unclear in most states if it is unlawful to be an equal opportunity asshole), and savvy bosses learn to work the system (as I said in the article " "They kiss up and kick down."

    I also thought the second story, a sidebar on Survival Strategies for Workers Whose Bosses are Bullies was useful, and a nice complement to my list of Tips for Surviving and Asshole Infested Workplace.   Here is the sidebar:

    Bosses often get a bad rap — mainly because they are just that: the boss.

    These are the folks who scrutinize vacation day requests, ask for client reports to be revised and tell employees the company decided against 2010 raises. So naturally they will be closely scrutinized — and criticized — by workers, simply because they have such a large impact on their life.

    "Bosses pack a wallop, especially on their direct reports," says Robert Sutton, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss.

    However, there are many supportive, compassionate managers out there, Sutton says. "Most of us think our bosses are OK."

    But for the folks toiling under a lousy manager, the daily stress can be severe. Some ways to deal with a bad boss:

    •Have a heart-to-heart. "Perhaps your boss is one of those people who aren't aware of how they come across," Sutton says. It could be worth it to have a "gentle confrontation" with the manager in hopes of evoking a behavior change.

    •Get help. "It's like a bully on the playground," says Tom Davenport, co-author of Manager Redefined. "At some point you have to go tell the teacher."

    Employees should keep a detailed diary of a boss' bad behaviors and then bring up those specific instances when lodging a complaint.

    "Don't talk about the way you feel. Don't say 'I'm hurt,' " says workplace consultant Catherine Mattice. Instead give very specific examples of how the boss crossed the line.

    •Zone out. With some effort — be it meditation, therapy or another method — some folks are able to leave their work troubles at the office. "Learn the fine art of emotional detachment," Sutton says. "Try not to let it touch your soul."

    •Update the résumé. "Start planning your escape," Sutton says. Sure, the economy may not be the best for job seekers, but those who put feelers out now will have a head start when the hiring freeze thaws.

    In addition, I also  learned that the McKinsey Quarterly piece based on Good Boss, Bad Boss, "Why Good Bosses Tune In To Their People"  was among their 10 most read pieces in 2010.  You can see the complete list and access is free, although you do need to register.  My favorite on the McKinsey list is "The Case for Behavioral Strategy" by Dan Lavallo and Oliver Sibony.  It makes a compelling, evidence-based, case about the damage done by executives who make strategic decisions without taking their own cognitive biases into account and shows how executives can make superior decisions (and thus help their companies and keep their jobs) by taking steps to dampen and eliminate these universal human imperfections.

    Enough looking back on 2010, its time to move forward into 2011!

  • “12 Things Good Bosses Believe” is the Most Popular Post at HBR in 2010

    I got a note from Julia Kirby at HBR a few days back that my list of "12 Things Good Bosses Believe"   has been the most popular post at HBR.Org in 2010 — a list based on ideas from Good Boss, Bad Boss. 

    Here is Jimmy Guterman's list of the Top 10 posts at HBR in 2010:

    1. 12 Things Good Bosses Believe
      Robert Sutton, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss, ponders what makes some bosses great.
    2. Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything
      Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project reports on what he's learned about top performance.
    3. How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking
      Peter Bregman learns how to do one thing at a time.
    4. Why I Returned My iPad
      Here, Bregman finds a novel way to treat a device that's "too good."
    5. The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received
      Although David Silverman published this with us in 2009, it remained extremely timely this year.
    6. How to Give Your Boss Feedback
      Amy Gallo reports on the best ways to help your boss and improve your working relationship.
    7. You've Made a Mistake. Now What?
      We all screw up at work. Gallo explains what to do next.
    8. Define Your Personal Leadership Brand
      Norm Smallwood of the RBL Group gives tips on how to convey your identity and distinctiveness as a leader.
    9. Why Companies Should Insist that Employees Take Naps
      Tony Schwartz makes the case for naps as competitive advantage.
    10. Six Social Media Trends for 2011
      David Armano of Edelman Digital ends the year by predicting our social media future.

    I am pleased and also somewhat embarrassed because, well, I haven't quite finished the post yet! I promised to write detailed posts on all 12 ideas listed, but I only made it through the first 10. I will finish in the next couple weeks, or at least I hope to, as life keeps happening while I make other plans (as that lovely old saying goes). 

  • Building a Better Boss: A Webinar With Polly LaBarre and Me

    Labarre2007-bw Polly LaBarre has been developing, sparking, and spreading ideas about innovative companies and people for about 15 years now, first as one of the most insightful (and downright fun) editors of Fast Company in its early days, then as a TV personality who did cool innovation stuff at CNN, co-author of Mavericks at Work, a great speaker at events of all kinds, and now at her latest adventure, the Management Innovation Exchange (or MIX) — which she is  leading with Gary Hamel, Michele Zanini, and David Sims.  I love the MIX Manifesto:

    Why Not?

    What law decrees that our organizations have to be bureaucratic, inertial and politicized, or that life within them has to be disempowering, dispiriting and often downright boring? No law we know of. So why not build organizations that are as resilient, inventive, inspiring and socially responsible, as the people who work within them? Why not, indeed. This is the mission of the MIX.

    I've known Polly at least 12 years, as I was involved a bit in the delightful madness of Fast Company conferences and other things in its crazy early years, and she wrote one of the best stories on Weird Ideas That Work. Polly is also, as many of you will recall, the person who I learned the phrase "Jargon Monoxide" from, which I still love. 

    As part of the MIX adventure, Polly and I are doing a webinar on bosses on this Thursday, December 9th at 11AM Eastern.  The basic plan is that I will spend about 25 minutes or so presenting core ideas from Good Boss, Bad Boss.  Then Polly and I will spend 15 or 20 minutes have a more rollicking a no doubt less linear conversation about it, and then the last 15 minutes or so will be more general Q&A. Polly is fun and always imaginative; I hope you will join us — and yes, it is free! Once again, you can sign-up here.

  • I Am On CNN at 1 Pacific/ 4 Eastern Talking About The Chilean Miners

    This is evidence of the power of Google.  I wrote a post a couple months called Luis Urzua and the Trapped Miners: A Good Boss, Performance, and Humanity — it is reprinted above. As you can see, it links Luis's actions to many of the central ideas in Good Boss, Bad Boss, especially Chapter 1.  This morning, I had calls and emails from both The World and from CNN. With most book PR, to be franbk, it starts with inquires from my book publicists or from me.  But this case is interesting because the producers did Google searches and then contacted me directly. I already did a taped interview that will appear later today on NPR and PRI with anchor Lisa Mullins — a great interviewer with a great voice.  I am now scheduled to appear on on CNN at 1 Pacific/4 Eastern as part of the coverage for an hour.

    I am excited about this and am going to see if I can find a tie without a stain on it! 

  • We’re Number 6! The New York Times Business List

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    I have been traveling enough that I did not get around to posting this until now.  Good Boss, Bad Boss is hanging in there pretty well on the bestseller lists.  In particular, last Sunday it was number 6 on the New York Times Business Bestseller list for hardbacks. Also, The No Asshole Rule was number 5 on the paperback business list and my publisher tells me will appear on other New York Times lists over the next couple weeks.   The sales of these books are a bit surprising to me because — despite the rise of the web — the success of both books is due more to sales in old fashioned bookstores than online sales.  Good Boss, Bad Boss is doing especially well at Barnes & Noble stores (see the rather rough picture above of a Barnes & Noble store in Midtown Manhattan) and The No Asshole Rule paperback is doing well in airport bookstores, especially Hudson's, which is displaying it prominently. 

  • Good Boss, Bad Boss Talks on September 30th and October 1st

    Susan Angel Devil

    I am writing this from Seat 8D on an Alaskan Airlines flight as I am giving an internal talk today at Amazon, which they call a "fishbowl."  It should be fun.  I also wanted people to know that I am giving three local talks in the bay area that are open to the public this week.  One is Thursday the 30th, which I am giving a Silicon Valley Commonwealth Club talk, but unfortunately, that is sold out.  I am also giving a talk at Xerox PARC that evening, which is free. Go here for details.  Finally, I am giving a talk at 12:50 on October 1 in a speaker's series at Stanford ran by some folks in the Computer Science Department that is also open to the public — go here for details. I hope to see you at one of these talks. I have been having a lot of fun discussing these ideas with people who work in diverse jobs and industries.

  • The Russian Cover for Good Boss, Bad Boss

    GBBB - Russian cover

    I have no idea what is says, but looks cool.

  • The Good News About Good Bosses

    It is mighty easy to focus on how much better the world's bosses could be, and on the plight of all the unhappy workers out there who work for lousy ones.

    And it's not necessarily a bad thing to focus on that. We know that in organizations, "bad apples" do spoil bunches, and bad experiences leave deeper impressions than good ones. This is why, in Good Boss, Bad Boss,
    I emphasize that the first order of business must be to get rid of or
    reform any supervisors who take a toll on employee well-being, dignity,
    commitment, and performance. Moreover, there is evidence that plenty of
    bosses are failing, in these tough times, to make work a joy. A survey early this year
    of a good representative sample of American workers found that only 45%
    of them were satisfied with their jobs. That marked a record low in the
    22 years the Conference Board has been asking. (Contrast it with 49% in
    2008 and 61% in 1987.) Only 51% of them were satisfied with their
    bosses (down from 55% in 2008 and 60% in 1987).

    But other evidence paints a less gloomy picture. For example, a recent poll [pdf]
    by StrategyOne of over 500 American workers finds that over 80% of
    employees feel respected by their supervisors and believe their
    supervisors value their work. And I just heard from a Danish journalist
    about an ongoing effort by staffing firm Randstad to index satisfaction and other work-related attitudes and behavior across 26 countries. While Japan, according to it,
    has the lowest satisfaction, with only 41% of its workers calling
    themselves either very satisfied or satisfied with their employer,
    Denmark tops the charts at 83%. (Note that there is other research that
    shows the Danes are the happiest people
    in the world.) US workers, while not as satisfied as their near
    neighbors the Canadians (78%) still came in at 70%. Worldwide, some 68%
    of employees are satisfied with their employer. (I realize this does not
    necessarily mean they are satisfied with their bosses. The old saw that people leave bosses, not companies, is supported by a lot of research.)

    Even when it comes to one of my favorite sins to preach against — the presence of jerks in management ranks (it's why I've unfortunately been referred to as "the asshole guy"), evidence offers a bright side. The excellent 2010 Zogby/Workplace Bullying Institute study showed
    that although 34.5% of respondents had experienced workplace bullying
    at some point in their career, fewer than 9% were currently experiencing
    it — a drop from the nearly 13% who reported being bullied in 2007.
    Bosses were meting out much of that abuse but not all of it. Most
    interesting to me is that half the sample (50%) reported they had never
    been bullied or even seen others bullied in their workplaces.

    Clearly, in light of all this research, you can see the glass as half
    full or half empty. But I have done much of my writing in the
    half-empty mode, critiquing bad bosses. In fact, I am even now drawing
    up my list of the "Top 11 Clueless, Comedic, and Cruel Bosses" based on
    the striking and sometimes disgusting examples that readers have
    provided here.

    I think it is important to focus on the good as well. As we've seen,
    even the most pessimistic evidence suggests that most bosses are
    managing to do a decent job. And some go much further than that.

    So let's take a moment to thank all the great bosses of the world. I would start with one of my own, Jim Plummer, the Dean of the Stanford School of Engineering. (If you want to know why I am so devoted to Jim, see Chapter 3 of Good Boss, Bad Boss.)
    Other bosses I've seen in action and singled out for praise have
    included Bonny Simi of JetBlue, David Kelley of IDEO, AG Lafley of
    P&G, Joel Podolny (now at Apple, but he was a great Associate Dean),
    Brad Bird of Pixar, Lenny Mendonca of McKinsey, and Whitney Mortimer of
    IDEO.

    Who are your favorites? In the spirit of this "glass half full" post,
    let's use the comments section here to compile a serious counterweight
    to all the coverage of clueless and crappy managers. Reflect for a
    minute on the best boss you've ever had, and then I would love to hear
    the story.

    P.S. This post first appeared last week at HBR.org under the title "The Not-So-Bad News About Bosses." I also want to give a big thank you to HBR's Julia Kirby for her splendid editing.  

  • Good Boss, Bad Boss Speech at the Commonwealth Club On Monday Night

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    As indicated in my post about speeches in September, I have been busy talking to various groups about the main ideas in Good Boss, Bad Boss.  I had a lot fun at Pixar, Disney Studios, IDEO, and Google talking to large groups, and also learned a lot from an interactive two hour session with a dozen or CEOs in Boston last Thursday.  Unfortunately, those talks were not open to the public. But the one I am doing tomorrow at the venerable Commonwealth Club is open.  I think this is my fourth or fifth talk at the Commonwealth Club, and the audiences are diverse and smart.  I am also going to have the honor of being introduced by Mary Cranston, the first woman to head a top 100 hundred law firm in the United States (and my wife's former boss!). Mary now serves on several corporate boards, including Visa.   

    Here are the details of the talk and a place to buy tickets online.  It starts at 6PM. 

    Also, for those on Peninsula, I have open talks on the Peninsula on September 30th, at Xerox PARC and at the Silicon Valley Commonwealth Club.

  • When The Shit Hits The Fan, Women Are Seen As Better Bosses Than Men

    A pair of intriguing experiments shows that women are more likely than men to be selected as leaders during times of crisis.  Check out this summary over at BPS research of the "glass cliff" by Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla Branscombe.  In the first study:

    "They presented 119 male and female participants with different versions
    of newspaper articles about an organic food company. Participants were
    more likely to select a fictitious female candidate to take over the
    company if it was described as being in crisis, and its previous
    three leaders had all been male. For participants who read that the
    previous managers had all been female, the glass cliff disappeared –
    they were just as likely to select a fictitious male candidate to take
    over the crisis stricken firm as they were to select a female." 

    The second study involved "122 male and female participants reading about a supermarket chain described either as thriving or in crisis" and found that:

    "In a successful context, the male candidate was judged to be more
    suitable for the role and was more likely to be selected – a replication
    of the bias seen in real life. More intriguing was that a crisis
    context led participants to attribute fewer stereotypically female
    attributes to the male candidate and to judge him as less suitable for
    the managerial role. Meanwhile, the crisis context didn't alter the
    qualities attributed to the the female candidate, nor the perception of
    her suitability. Crucially, however, she was more likely to be selected
    in the crisis situation – you might say almost by default, given that
    the male candidate was now seen as being less suitable and having fewer
    appropriate attributes."

    The authors overall conclusion is not very comforting as they suggest that people (and perhaps companies too) only prefer female leaders when things have been so screwed up by men that they are desperate enough to try different path.  In their words:

    Our findings indicate that women find themselves in precarious
    leadership positions not because they are singled out for them, but
    because men no longer seem to fit… There is, of course, a double irony here. When women get to
    enjoy the spoils of leadership (a) it is not because they are seen to
    deserve them, but because men no longer do, and (b) this only occurs
    when, and because, there are fewer spoils to enjoy.

    Remember that this is an experiment so we don't know how well it generalizes to the real bosses in real companies in the real world.  There are certainly cases that fit the evidence, such as the appointment of Anne Mulchay at Xerox during the firm's darkest hour.  But it remains to be seen if this pattern can be replicated in sample of leaders and firms.

    What do you think?  Does this ring true?

    Here is the citation: Bruckmüller, S. & Branscombe, N. (2010). The glass cliff: When and why women are selected as leaders in crisis contexts. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49 (3)