h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I once read a magazine article about a manager of a very well-run oil refinery. Apparently, he does nothing all day long. If he's not sitting in his office looking out the window, he'd be off playing golf.

As he explained to the interviewer, the manager (let's call him Mr. Smith) used to be like a typical manager: busy, making decisions, stressed out, always helping out his subordinates. One day he realized that he was stressing out too much and his golf game was degrading. He then decided he would stop interfering and let his subordinates take control; after all, if his workers weren't qualified to make decisions on their own work, why were they hired in the first place?

If ever a worker asked Mr. Smith for help with his work, Smith would tell him to ask his coworkers and don't bother him again.

The only thing work-related that Mr. Smith did was to hold a meeting every Thursday at about 11am. At that meeting, all the workers in the group would come in and explain to the group what they were up to, and what they had done, and what problems they might need help on. At these meetings, Mr. Smith usually appeared to be asleep.

Furthermore, there was an unofficial position called the "Thursday Man." If, for some reason, Mr. Smith was unavailable for the Thursday meeting, the Thursday Man would run the meeting for him. The Thursday Man position was highly coveted, and given to those who were exceptionally good at helping others with their work problems. Apparently most Thursday Men make very good managers when they get promoted to other positions.

I'm hoping if/when I get a chance to be a manager, I do as good a job as Mr. Smith.

I had a manager like that, his favourite expression was "Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions". He used to offload responsibility to his subordinates, but not the authority to carry it out. He was a complete nigtmare to work for.

I also had a manager whose idea of motiviating his staff was to give them a little origami bird whenever he felt they'd done something well.

I think I must attract them!

The best boss I ever had was called David Rowlands.

He was a massive Welshman with a huge booming voice, and a way of expressing himself that was always immensely powerful. He was Personnel Director of a large business, and I was a lowly scrote of a Personnel Officer. In large, learned, tense and formal meetings, he would solomnly pronounce with a voice that threatened volcanic eruption something entirely inappropriate like "Nous sommes c**ts!", and you would see all manner of VIP executives quake with fear at the possibility of having to support or refute David's pronouncement.

But he was generous in his praise as well as his criticism. And I think it was that larger-than-life quality that made a stressful job worthwhile.... You had no doubt whether you had been admonished. You had no doubt whether you had been praised.

The thing I learned is that great bosses communicate: and they make sure you always care what they say and in so doing they ensure that you are always singing to their hymn-sheet of standards and values.

I agree with your comments about the best bosses being good communicators.

However, in my experience they are very few and far betweeen, most complaining that their staff (and superiors) never communicate with them but never attempting to instigate this communication process.

I consider myself fortunate if I speak to my manager just once in the day, he has no idea what I do, and although I have left him in no doubt how dissatisfied I am, he seems to think that if left alone the problem will go away. Or perhaps that if he leaves me alone *I* will go away! The latter is the more likely!

I used to work for a company where the 'Chief Software Designer' had no qualifications in software engineering, learnt how to program (badly) on the job, and only got promoted because the company wanted to promote internally and he was the only person who applied. JW (name with-held in case of a libel suit) didn't react well to perceived criticism (usually it was actually helpful suggestions). On one occasion I stood my ground over what I perceived as a better way of doing my job. JW didn't speak to me for 9 months, not even to say good morning, and when he did speak to me it was to give me a verbal warning. I left that company as quickly as I could. At my leaving interview, JW's boss and the Technical Director asked if there was anything they could do to persuade me to stay. I replied, 'Nothing legal.' When asked, 'What about illegal?', I replied 'Take out a contract on JW!' That man is the only person I have *ever* seriously wished dead.

My then colleagues have told me that I wasn't the only person who felt that way about him, but I was the only person with the wisdom and work experience to vote with my feet. I have since learned that he was demoted a few years ago. There's justice in this world after all!

Doodling away at the office yesterday, I made a list of things that bosses should do and be. Lots of what is said herein this Talking Point and the conversations attached to it confirms that my list is very justified. I'm only a secretary (although there's no such thing these days really), because I have three kids and don't want to take the career path. But I know I'm better educated than many people who have been senior to me and, nowadays, often older, too, so I take on the position of observer.

My greatest disappointment was when our office (sales) merged with the logistics department. The people whom I had worked for, for several years, and respected (up to a point) completely lost my respect and awe when I saw that they had absolutely no idea what was going on and started asking such stupid questions which showed that they hadn't bothered to find out what their charges were actually doing. I couldn't stay on in a job like that, because there was no one to turn to when problems arose. So I quit.

The entry is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A627211

If the Editors are interested and see this, I could incorporate all the relevant bits from this Talking Point and compile it into a complete entry. It seems that no final entry was ever made of the subject, although it is one that affects us all - world wide. Perhaps I searched wrong, and am missing it.

If the editors don't want, or if they don't find this, then I could one day find the time to just add all the bits of the threads in and make my entry more complete, to illustrate the points on my list.