A friend I’ve not yet met, but only spoken to, shared the story of the wheeltapper with me some time ago. As you may or may not know, the wheeltapper is a railway worker employed, most commonly in the 19th century, to test the integrity of train wheels and that axle boxes are not overheating. Wheeltappers were crucial to the smooth operation of the railways as a cracked wheel or overheated axle bearing would lead to delays and loss of income. Basically, they tapped wheels with a long-handled hammer and listened to the sound made to determine the integrity of the wheel; cracked wheels, like cracked bells, do not sound the same as their undamaged counterparts.
There was a story of one wheeltapper, in particular, who checked a train and declared that every single wheel was defective… until someone discovered that it was, in fact, the wheeltapper’s long-handled hammer which was cracked!
I am sad to say that I have come across one too many faulty ‘long-handled hammers’ in the management realms. Is this just my experience? The more I engage with others, the more I think not.
In my mind, a good manager is, in essence, someone who is excels in their capacity to conduct a team to achieve maximum performance in the best interests of the company and its vision and objectives, but NEVER at the expense of its people. This means identifying UNIQUE individuals’ strengths and harnessing them… basically bringing out the best in them, and acknowledging with CLARITY that every person is not a textbook case. Being a good manager means breeding loyal, productive and successful employees. And since a happy employee IS a faithful employee, all this is best achieved in a POSITIVE working environment. I mean, we spend most of our waking hours at work, more than with our loved ones… a mere income is no substitute for a good and healthy spirit. And there is more than enough misery in this world over which we have control. Why manufacture more?
For me, a first-class ‘boss’ is, above all, a good quality character who leads by example. This is no easy feat, and that’s why not everyone is management material. It takes a special set of traits to make one and it comes with great responsibility.
Instead I have experienced the contrary. Admittedly, I have yet to work under a younger management team, so perhaps it is an archaic “I’m your boss and that’s that” meme which still needs to work its way out of the system. But what is clear to me, from my personal experience, is that good managers are hard to find, and, most frequently, the wrong people are put into these positions power. What’s also sad is that Company Directors too often don’t have the time, or the acumen (I’m afraid), to identify a good manager… the commonplace phenomenon of ‘ego-stroking’ can inevitably blur their vision, and they can emerge so ‘out of touch’ with their people on the ground, that they can do nothing but rely on another’s appraisal.
The oppressive and dictatorial management style I’ve encountered definitely doesn’t work for the educated. And it sure as hell isn’t fair treatment for the uneducated either, for it is only a division of ‘privilege’ that separates the two.
A good boss does not ‘peacock’ their plumage as though he/she is your superior. This brings to mind my great aversion for the label “subordinate”. A good boss understands that all power is transitory and on loan, and that his/her responsibility in position is not to elevate his/her own level of importance, but to develop you and help you be your best. The team shouldn’t be ‘serving’ the ‘boss’… the ‘boss’ should be serving the team.
And what is it with the ‘nasty’ streak? Yes, the ‘villain’ is oft adored on-screen, his/her behaviour conveniently explained away because of the pleasure of their entertainment value or delightfully ‘flawed’ countenance. No one likes the ‘bad’ guy in REALITY, though, if truth be told. Being hard-assed and unkind in the workplace is NOT a virtue.
I’ve had more than one manager who loves to hear their own voice. On and on they ramble… At first, I might have found them quite knowledgeable, but in Good Time, as I learnt their trade, I realized just how much rubbish came out of their mouth – most of it repetition of others’ words (including your own) in a vain attempt to make themselves sound and look good. And when you tried to communicate, to share your strengths in identifying a weak point and suggesting something to increase efficiency, or let them know that you were not entirely happy, and that a small adjustment would, at no expense to them or the company, turn the tables, they wouldn’t hear it. You’d ask a question needed for progress, and have to be interrupted and endure an hour’s soliloquy entirely off the topic and unwarranted, at the expense of progress, wasting precious time… A good boss is a good listener.
A good boss knows that what you want most is RESPECT. It doesn’t cost them or the company a cent, but it sure does make us bloom. A good boss also knows that respect for them is EARNED and not entrusted by default. A good boss is humble, mindful of the time when they weren’t a boss. A good boss makes an effort to understand you, what you do and how you feel, knowing full well that they are going to make mistakes because no single person is a textbook case.
A good boss is SELF-AWARE but not ego-centric. Every word that comes out of their mouth and every letter typed with their fingers will be dissected. Are they saying what they mean? Are they meaning what they say? A good boss realizes that not everyone is going to like him / her for their own particular reasons, but is cognizant of the impact of their behaviour at all times.
A good boss is NOT INTIMIDATED by people as bright as or brighter than he/she is. A good boss lets his /her team help them look good and gives praise where praise is due.
A good boss tells you when you've stuffed up and he/she pardons you — in that very same exchange. He/she does not take credit for your ideas, nor does a good boss demand credit when he/she gives you an idea.
A good boss never confuses dispute with betrayal. A good boss may not disclose all, but a good boss NEVER LIES.
A good boss is REASONABLE, weighing all scenarios in their unique context and never forgetting that they are dealing with PEOPLE and not ROBOTS.
A good boss doesn't take a bonus when his people can't get a raise. He/she doesn't cling to a bad idea just because it was his/hers.
A good boss does not vilify colleagues in your presence, even if you wish he/she would. By same, a good boss has the guts to deal with a ‘bad apple’ for the sake of workplace harmony.
A good boss doesn't say "Don't take it personally" when delivering bad news. He knows that work IS personal.
As ‘busy’ as a good boss may be, a good boss does not assume that you’re less busy. A good boss knows that time is precious to all of us.
A good boss has to have a sense of humour, able to laugh at themselves, too, and keep things, wherever possible, light and positive in a world filled with more than enough bad and sad stuff.
A good boss, somewhere along the line, probably taught me these values of a good boss, so KUDOS to YOU!
And, finally, a good boss knows how much we covet a good boss.
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