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CAITBHW: Day 2 - An Example of What NOT Being Inside the Boss’ Head Looks Like
Yesterday, we talked about How To Crawl Inside the Boss’ Head 101.
Today, I thought I’d give you an example of how it looks to NOT be inside the boss’ head.
This is the story of “the guy I worked with”:
A PAINFUL “GETTING PAID” EXPERIENCE
Recently, I was doing some contract work for fun with a group of other guys. Yes, you can work for fun. How do you know it’s for fun? Because the pay (usually bad) doesn’t matter.
We were all being paid by “the boss man”, who paid by check and frequently had to make a special trip to come and pay us. As a result, we sometimes had to make special arrangements to meet him somewhere to be paid.
What a pain! For everyone involved!
ADD TO THE RESCUE!
Everyone around me seems to think I have ADD. I’m pretty sure this is because my brain just won’t “shut off” and is always bouncing from idea to idea.
The downside of this is exemplified by the joke I often tell at my own expense:
Question: “How many kids with ADD does it take to screw in a light bulb?” Answer: “Wanna go ride bikes?” |
However, there is an upside and it is this: the ADD brain is always coming up with solutions.
So, as soon as I realized how painful it was to get paid, I thought, “Self, there has got to be an easier way to get paid without twisting myself into a pretzel. Wow! Look at that shiny object!”
Turns out that shiny object wasn’t so interesting, so my brain jumped back on track and said, “Why doesn’t he just PayPal you the money? You don’t have to go meet ‘the boss man’. He doesn’t have to leave the comfort of his favorite BarcaLounger. You get the money immediately. Everyone wins! Ooooo! Look at that cool cellphone!”
Though frequently off-topic, my ADD-riddled brain can come up with some brilliant solutions!
THE RINGLEADER SPRINGS INTO ACTION
I mentioned my solution to one of the other guys there and I was amazed at what came out of this mouth:
“I don’t even have a Paypal account. And I don’t know if I could get Paypal money to my bank. Nah, that won’t work.
Besides, I’m gonna have ‘the boss man’ deposit the check in my bank. That’ll work best for me. I know you can do it, too. I’ve deposited money in other people’s accounts.
It’s a national bank, so there’s a branch everywhere!”
I was so bewildered that I had to ask a round of clarifying questions. What he really, honestly meant was that, whenever he worked, he expected “the boss man” to:
- drive to a branch of his bank
- write out the same check he did before
- fill out a deposit slip for this guy
- wait in line
- deposit the check
- take (or mail) the receipt back to the guy doing the work.
and
After figuring out what he really, honestly meant, I asked, “So, instead of him meeting us in one place to hand out checks, you want him to visit everyone’s bank branch and deposit them? That seems like a lot more work for him…”
His response, “Oh, I don’t care what he does for you guys. I’m going to get him to do that for me. You work out your own deal.
CAN YOU SPOT THE PROBLEM HERE?
If I’m this guy’s boss and he approaches me like that, here are the top things that pop into my head immediately:
- He is demanding that I accommodate him, but isn’t accommodating me in the least. - Someone who wants what s/he is unwilling to give is likely to make a bad long-term employee.
- He is creating work for me in one small area. I wonder if this is a trend. - Immediately, he is labeled as a potential problem employee. Employees that create more work for me are bad employees.
- I’d better start looking for a replacement now. - Chances are employees with this type of attitude will flame out at some point. I’d better stick out my antennae to find a replacement for this guy when it’s convenient for me, not him.
- I need to start changing his job responsibilities. - While I’m not positive this isn’t going to turn out well, after working with a lot of people, my instincts have gotten pretty reliable. I’m going to shift his job responsibilities to all non-sensitive areas so that it’ll be easier to separate when that time comes.
All this happens lightening fast inside the boss’ head and all you might see is a shifting expression, and then it’s gone. However, you’re essentially fired already and don’t even know it.
Be careful how you approach the boss. Who knows what’s inside his head!
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
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Daniel R. Sweet
Owner / Author / Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer
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Photo by: the.myrmidon
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March 28th, 2007 at 9:27 am
Chris Cree sent me here. I love the bald head poem. I also like the practical advice you have for “getting inside the bosses head.” (By a negative example.)
What you are talking about here is basically the golden rule. “Treat others the way you want to be treated” isn’t supposed to be an egotistical analysis of the way we want to be treated. It means if we can figure out what we want, then we’re more likely to be able to figure out what other people want.
That’s what I try to remember when I approach my boss. What does he need from me? How can I help him? After all, that’s what he pays me to do.
March 28th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Thanks for the comment!
I agree wholeheartedly, but there are an increasing number of employees who would not agree that the boss pays you to help him.
Many of them think the boss pays them to do the 5 line-items on the job description and that’s it. No need for thought about any larger goals are necessary.
And the bald head poem isn’t mine - I took the picture and the poem from the.myrmidon at Flickr.
Dan