Jobs for Geeks

Boss’ frequent mistakes. Illusions about ideal staff.

Posted by admin under Job Effectiveness, Labour relations, Seniors and Juniors

Geeks are working in the team all the time with the only difference that some of them can work for an end customer (and Project Manager all in one) or in the office in the Product Developing Team (among other Project Managers, other Developers and Leads). And they will be always under someone’s control; there will always be someone who could be accused of incompetence in administrative functions etc.

So let’s continue discussing the facts why our managers can be ineffective or just bad.

The top manager has always an idea about you and about how wonderful it would be if you were more initiative, more effective etc. Let’s try to compose a broad picture of an ideal subordinate from the top manager’s point of view:

• an ideal team member is always ready for the overtime work and even is glad to help because he wants to be like the supervisor;
• is always full of different ideas that can be switched in use;
• is self-motivated, initiative and hot-eyed, he’s always full of goodwill to work well;
• has a mind to learn something new, he’s getting more professional and more experienced in his work and fringe areas as well;
• if he doesn’t have certain tasks he understands the company and department needs and sets tasks himself, accomplishes them and provides excellent results that can help others;
• doesn’t asks silly questions and tries to find everything independently;
• makes right decisions without help;
• doesn’t require salary hike and bonuses for additional work;
• is always loyal to the top manager;
• it’s a person who can cope with difficult tasks and is reliable.

This list can be enlarged according to the lead’s expectations about the ideal staff. The most important thing is that these features describe a global team member’s characteristics – effectiveness. Though people are getting more effective under the condition of good management only. And effective top manager shouldn’t indulge in illusions about (in)ideality of the staff – he should train the members of the department to let them get more ideal. After all thinking of ideality and facing the reality the top manager can just stop trusting co-workers and do tasks for others.