How hard do you want to work?

[Truthy]

To be fair to your office, it's pretty rare for people who are supposed to supervise to actually be good at supervising.

Personally, I adhere to the school of thought that managers are the ones who need managing. Even really smart and competent ones almost never have a good understanding of what everyone's doing and what concrete things need to get done.

 

[rah]

Even really smart and competent ones almost never have a good understanding of what everyone's doing and what concrete things need to get done.

Actually that's the definition of a competent one IMHO.

 

[civvver]

Actually that's the definition of a competent one IMHO.

Delegate, trust your people, manage the processes, don't micro manage the people.

 

[rah]

Agreed. but someone needs to know the view from the bridge.

 

[Kyriakos]

Agreed. but someone needs to know the view from the bridge.

Imo office managers should be like the ones in Gogol's stories. Ie just be there to instill fear and act pompous, refusing to speak to any subordinate and at times pretend to be looking at what the peons are doing, without having any actual grasp of what is required.
And the higher-ups should never be seen in the same space as the lower ranks.
Meanwhile some unfortunate has to buy a new overcoat, and this will lead to disaster.

 

[rah]

Fear should be the VERY last method of motivating. Fear requires you to continually watch them. Trust and motivating with beer does not.
Managers have better things to be doing.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

Do You imply that You wouldn't want to create art while doing a creative job ?

yes, precisely. I'd rather write a book that not a single person reads that's up to my standards than publishing something which is popular, but a deviation of what I truly wanted to do. catering to people sucks, especially for artists.

Fear should be the VERY last method of motivating. Fear requires you to continually watch them.

just make your office into a panopticon, boom problem solved

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Fear can be a perverse incentive that drives people to do things you don't want or anticipate.

 

[rah]

Which is why I don't eliminate it as a method of motivation.
It just takes too much effort, doesn't build trust, and really isn't sustainable.
Every other method should be tried first.
Yes, there are people that will not be motivated any other way. But I have always tried to weed those people out over time.
I'd rather spend my time mentoring and making sure the resources are properly allocated towards the ultimate goals.

 

[AdamCrock]

Probably my dream job would be at some bookstore. Again doing nothing other than inform customers where they can find a book, or make up what I thought of it (if it was written after the late 1950s I wouldn't know anyway).

Idk why it reminded me of Gabriel Knight ("Sins of the fathers") You could solve voodoo mysteries in the meantime.

Its a badly run office if you have nothing to do most of the time. It also makes for a very boring job. I'd rather have something to do whilst I'm there even if its just filing or data entry.

Yeah it is bad because it makes (me at least) lazy - the longer I have to wait for something to do the more lazy I become . On the other side of the coin I have CFC so it isn't a complete waste of time for me

 

[AmazonQueen]

Idk why it reminded me of Gabriel Knight ("Sins of the fathers") You could solve voodoo mysteries in the meantime.



Yeah it is bad because it makes (me at least) lazy - the longer I have to wait for something to do the more lazy I become . On the other side of the coin I have CFC so it isn't a complete waste of time for me

I used to work nightshifts one job and basically we'd be busy for half of a 12 hour shift. Every now and then management would try and ban us using the internet during quiet periods and it was hell until they forgot about us and we went back to using it.

 

[Kyriakos]

Idk why it reminded me of Gabriel Knight ("Sins of the fathers") You could solve voodoo mysteries in the meantime.

Alas, my life isn't as interesting as Gabriel's. But I certainly am a better writer than him

 

[H4run]

Treating my managers at cafe for food and coffee once a month and sharing the bill with the senior manager really improve my holding and position. The problem of playing the fear card is that they are rallying from behind waiting for the right time to stab you in the back, fear is needed, but if it is the only tool you have you win nothing but enemies.

 

[rah]

Agreed
But if they're already your enemy, fear is probably the only tool you have left.
Hopefully your other methods have kept them from becoming enemies.
But there are some that never quite learn.

 

[H4run]

Agreed
But if they're already your enemy, fear is probably the only tool you have left.
Hopefully your other methods have kept them from becoming enemies.
But there are some that never quite learn.

Dang man that's quite true, actually there is one that caused me a huge migrane yesterday, she always treating her venue like her own little kingdom where she is the little sweet queen on the throne. She always mess with all the new recruit that I get for her and bully them in a subtle way until they are resign, already 5 new employees resign under her. But she got all the other worker at that venue supporting her, except one who they bully together currently. Glad I able to make my senior manager deep in my side, but he is also so confuse on handling her. It is really like a highschool drama. Yesterday I coming back home literally want to vommit

 

[AdamCrock]

Agreed
But if they're already your enemy, fear is probably the only tool you have left.
Hopefully your other methods have kept them from becoming enemies.
But there are some that never quite learn.

It brings me to mind:

“And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.”

It sounds safer but I doubt it's better . Who likes to be feared ? No doubt there are some power crazed people , power is addicting I think (never really had any myself) and fear is a tool to keep it.
From my peon perspective however I'd rather have a beer than live in fear
Cheers @rah

 

[Birdjaguar]

When I worked, I usually enjoyed what I was doing and had no problems with 45-55 hour weeks. I was fortunate to be doing interesting and challenging work with fun and interesting people. Now that I am retired and don't have to work I try to limit my think tank work to 15 hours or so a week. Mentoring adds another couple. But as happens in life, we have been asked to do a 16 month consulting project for a $1M+. Returning to 40 hour work weeks is not very appealing even if the work is both important and challenging. I need a young vibrant millennial to be my proxie.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

When I worked, I usually enjoyed what I was doing and had no problems with 45-55 hour weeks. I was fortunate to be doing interesting and challenging work with fun and interesting people. Now that I am retired and don't have to work I try to limit my think tank work to 15 hours or so a week. Mentoring adds another couple. But as happens in life, we have been asked to do a 16 month consulting project for a $1M+. Returning to 40 hour work weeks is not very appealing even if the work is both important and challenging. I need a young vibrant millennial to be my proxie.

*raises hand* lol

 

[Birdjaguar]

*raises hand* lol

"It is not rocket science."