Have you ever worked for some one who was a smooth talker, a real charmer, popular, intelligent, cool headed and fearless? Confident, some would say over confident with a tendency to take the credit for the work of others and when things went wrong it was always some one else's fault. Not the type of person who would lose any sleep over a decision to make staff redundant or dismiss someone on the grounds of ill health. In fact,truth be known, they could be a bit of a bully. Despite this they were valued by senior management. Have you ever worked for some one who was truly inspirational? Someone who made you feel the jobs worth doing and that your part in it is valued. Some one with clear professional values that they stuck to even if it made them unpopular. Some one who would do the right thing, some one with a strong sense of social justice who could on occasional let their strength of feeling get the better of them and make other people feel uncomfortable. As a colleague and manager supportive and considerate. The type of manager who recognises you have a life outside of work and who takes an interest. Is approachable and listens but can be over influenced by the last person they spoke to. Would lose sleep at the prospect of making staff redundant as they can imagine what this would feel like. Senior managers recognised their ability to energise staff and get things done but express the reservation that they were not always in tune.
Would you be surprised to know both managers were popular?
Would you be surprised by recent research that found that many employees saw little differences between the two managers?
Would you be surprised to learn that the employees who were best at coping with a boss who treated them badly were the ones who thought that they would do pretty much the same if they were in charge?
(Research by Charlice Hurst, of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. As reported in the Times 25/01/18).
Blair McPherson www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
