Strike without warning

At lunch last week, a senior exec (regional VP) was telling me about a more senior exec within the organisation (SVP and regional MD) and how his style was confrontational–with everyone.

He continued, “At first I couldn’t stand him–all he would do was pick pick pick at everyone, me included. And our turning point was over a policy decision I had to make. I’d gotten all the regional input I needed from everyone, made sure I had the info lined up and had a well thought out plan to implement the decision. For me, once I decide on direction, there is no turning back.
I laid it all out for him, and what the hell does he do? He questioned my decision–hard–and I fought back, which is fine by me, and we went around and around. He finally stopped, agreed with what I wanted to do, and that was that–and we get along much better now. But he wants to see with everyone how far he can push, because most people–especially his staff–do not push back, and then he owns them.”

It’s not good, and I asked him later, one on one, whether he thought his management style was really effective.

He looked at me and said, “Yes, I really think it is. I prod people because I know they can always do better, and I want them to do their best. And if it means that I have to push them hard to get to that level, so be it. Some will deliver, and others won’t, and I get rid of the deadwood.”

“Personally”, my friend continued, “I don’t think that’s the right way, and a lot of people will not work for him. But I understand what he’s trying to do–good thing I don’t report in to him.”

Now, you could read this and think “lunatic”. And you’d be well within your rights to do so. The world is full of people like that, and anyone who has been in business long enough has worked with or under such people. How do you deal with it? Everyone is different, so I can’t give a one-answer-fits-all, but I can say that you have to understand how to communicate to the boss, and complement his strengths.

Each boss works differently. Some are readers, some are listeners. Some like long reports, some like graphs and powerpoints, some like one paragraph summaries. Some want in at the beginning of a project, others don’t want to know until it’s nearly done. Some rely on one opinion (theirs) or want to have 4 or 5 different opinions before they come to a conclusion. Some foster confrontation, others want no stress in front of them. And on and on.

Rule number 1, understand how to communicate with you boss.

Second, what does your boss do unusually well? Numbers? Sales? Public speaking? Micro or macro work? Every single one of us can tell everyone what our boss can’t do; it doesn’t matter. None of us can do more than one or two things very well at the most–it’s the way humans are.

Rule number 2, understand and complement your boss’ strengths, and stop lamenting what the boss cannot do; it’s irrelevant.

This boss knows that unpredictability can be unnerving, and, no doubt, purposely tries to throw people off stride. But many bosses do, and only those who are the perpetual subordinates are always predictable..