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  • 1.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-08-2009 15:48

    Apologies for cross postings

     

     

    I am trying to wade through the plethora of things out there to find some helpful (not full of platitudes) references on managing one's supervisor.  Before you ask, no I do not need it to better manage my Dean nor am I going to hand it out to my faculty because they need to better manage me (although that is a thought........).  I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area.  The stuff I have looked at so far just doesn't have much to offer.  If you know of references that you believe are actually helpful please send me some suggestions and I will post to the list once I compile them.

     

    Regards

     

    Mark

     

     

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Mark P. Sharfman, Ph.D.                                
    Professor of Strategic Management
    Director, Division of Management & Entrepreneurship
    Price College of Business
    307 W. Brooks - Rm. 206A
    University of Oklahoma
    Norman, OK 73019-0450 USA
    +405.325.5689 (voice)
    +405.325.7688 (fax)
    Msharfman@ou.edu
    http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Mark.P.Sharfman-1/

    P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail or any attachments

     



  • 2.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-08-2009 17:25
    Mark,
     
    I founded a software company in a small government consultancy. Over a few years, software took over and we grew dramatically.  As the stresses of management grew, my boss used to wait until I wasn't in my office, and then leave a "poison pen letter."  I was furious, but not equipped with skills to negotiate.
     
    So I wrote a very simple statement of how he might motivate me.  It made a difference for me.  Here is the list I used at that time.
     
    Best,
     
    Gary
     

    Ten Incentives to Perform

    Gary Lundquist

    ________________________________________________

     

    Team membership

     

    Challenging and creative tasks

     

    Authority to perform

     

    Recognition of past performance

     

    Respect

     

    Feedback, including rapid and honest criticism

     

    Cooperation

     

    Commitment by upper management

     

    Working environment/material support

     

    Salary/benefits package

     

     
     

    ...................................................................

    Gary Lundquist

    GaryL@Market-Engineering.com

    Director@InnoSearchColorado.com

    303-840-9929

    Energizing Innovation™

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Management Education and Development Discussion [mailto:MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Sharfman, Mark P.
    Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 1:48 PM
    To: MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: managing your boss references

    Apologies for cross postings

     

     

    I am trying to wade through the plethora of things out there to find some helpful (not full of platitudes) references on managing one's supervisor.  Before you ask, no I do not need it to better manage my Dean nor am I going to hand it out to my faculty because they need to better manage me (although that is a thought........).  I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area.  The stuff I have looked at so far just doesn't have much to offer.  If you know of references that you believe are actually helpful please send me some suggestions and I will post to the list once I compile them.

     

    Regards

     

    Mark

     

     

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Mark P. Sharfman, Ph.D.                                
    Professor of Strategic Management
    Director, Division of Management & Entrepreneurship
    Price College of Business
    307 W. Brooks - Rm. 206A
    University of Oklahoma
    Norman, OK 73019-0450 USA
    +405.325.5689 (voice)
    +405.325.7688 (fax)
    Msharfman@ou.edu
    http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Mark.P.Sharfman-1/

    P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail or any attachments

     



  • 3.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-08-2009 17:34
    In a message dated 10/8/2009 4:23:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, msharfman@OU.EDU writes:
    I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area. 
     
    Dear Mark:
     
    I do not know of anything meaningful that is published on the subject.  That may be because useful suggestions have to consider at least they type of objectionable behavior by the manager and preferably some specifics.  Then, appropriate strategy would not be much different from dealing with a staff member with same behavior - only much more carefully.
     
    Just my thoughts.
     
    Erwin


  • 4.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-08-2009 20:03
    I have used several resources when I do  training in this area that are helpful
    They include Coping With Difficult People by Robt Bramson, (Dell; 1988)
    and Perfect Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Handling Conflict, Confrontations and Challenging Personalities by Susan Benjamin   (McGraw-Hill; 2008)

    Other resources include:
    IS YOUR BOSS A PSYCHOPATH?
     Alan Deutschman. Fast Company. Boston: Jul 2005. , Iss. 96; pg. 44, 8 pgs

    Surviving The Boss From Hell  (HBR Case Study) by David Silverman, Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2009, pg 33-40 ( with commentary )

    Also, there are also some good things written about Influencing Up which may be a phrase to use when googling or searching library or book resources.

    These should be of some help.
    --Linda Gasser




    At 03:48 PM 10/8/2009, you wrote:
    Apologies for cross postings
     
     
    I am trying to wade through the plethora of things out there to find some helpful (not full of platitudes) references on managing one’s supervisor.  Before you ask, no I do not need it to better manage my Dean nor am I going to hand it out to my faculty because they need to better manage me (although that is a thought……..).  I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area.  The stuff I have looked at so far just doesn’t have much to offer.  If you know of references that you believe are actually helpful please send me some suggestions and I will post to the list once I compile them.
     
    Regards
     
    Mark
     

     

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Mark P. Sharfman, Ph.D.                                
    Professor of Strategic Management
    Director, Division of Management & Entrepreneurship
    Price College of Business
    307 W. Brooks - Rm. 206A
    University of Oklahoma
    Norman, OK 73019-0450 USA
    +405.325.5689 (voice)
    +405.325.7688 (fax)
    Msharfman@ou.edu
     http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Mark.P.Sharfman-1/

    P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail or any attachments
     
    <x-sigsep></x-sigsep>


    Linda Gasser, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Business
    Ithaca College
    436 Park Center
    Ithaca, NY 14850
    lgasser@ithaca.edu
    Phone: 607-274-1915
    AND
    Lecturer in Human Resources, ILR School
    ADDRESS:
    157 Ives Hall
    Cornell University
    Ithaca, NY 14853
    e-mail:  LSG3@Cornell.edu
    Phone: 607-255-1228



  • 5.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-09-2009 02:22
    It may help to leave a copy of The One Minute Manager in this in-basket.
    Jack Ring


  • 6.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-09-2009 05:49
    I do so envy Mark in having limited experience with idiot bosses.

    Dr. Steven Henderson
    Reader in Management
    Southampton Business School

    "Someday we will look back and this will all seem funny"
    Bruce Springsteen


  • 7.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-09-2009 06:48
    Steven, if you want the experience, then join the military or the civil service. After I wrote our book, people asked me if I had a lot of management experience. I told them that I hadn't, but that I had had a lot of experience being badly managed.

    Cheers, Bruce

    Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol
    Organizational Psychologist

    ------------------------------------------------------
    Have you ever had to supervise a bully? Have you experienced it personally?  Should it concern you, or is it just part of the rough & tumble of work? To find out more, sign up for my free newsletter. http://www.p-advantage.com/Newsletter.php

    Read CockUps@Work: http://www.p-advantage.com/Blog
    Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drbrucehoag



    2009/10/9 Steven Henderson <Steven.Henderson@solent.ac.uk>
    I do so envy Mark in having limited experience with idiot bosses.

    Dr. Steven Henderson
    Reader in Management
    Southampton Business School

    "Someday we will look back and this will all seem funny"
    Bruce Springsteen



  • 8.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-09-2009 12:08

    For years, I've used a chapter in John Kotter's Power and Influence: chapter 6, "Relations with Superiors: the Challenge of "Managing" a Boss."   Many people have told me that they found it very helpful. 

     

    Lee Bolman

     

    From: Management Education and Development Discussion [mailto:MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Linda Gasser
    Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:03 PM
    To: MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: managing your boss references

     

    I have used several resources when I do  training in this area that are helpful
    They include Coping With Difficult People by Robt Bramson, (Dell; 1988)
    and Perfect Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Handling Conflict, Confrontations and Challenging Personalities by Susan Benjamin   (McGraw-Hill; 2008)

    Other resources include:
    IS YOUR BOSS A PSYCHOPATH?
    Alan Deutschman. Fast Company. Boston: Jul 2005. , Iss. 96; pg. 44, 8 pgs

    Surviving The Boss From Hell  (HBR Case Study) by David Silverman, Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2009, pg 33-40 ( with commentary )

    Also, there are also some good things written about Influencing Up which may be a phrase to use when googling or searching library or book resources.

    These should be of some help.
    --Linda Gasser




    At 03:48 PM 10/8/2009, you wrote:

    Apologies for cross postings
     

     
    I am trying to wade through the plethora of things out there to find some helpful (not full of platitudes) references on managing one's supervisor.  Before you ask, no I do not need it to better manage my Dean nor am I going to hand it out to my faculty because they need to better manage me (although that is a thought........).  I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area.  The stuff I have looked at so far just doesn't have much to offer.  If you know of references that you believe are actually helpful please send me some suggestions and I will post to the list once I compile them.
     
    Regards
     
    Mark
     

     

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Mark P. Sharfman, Ph.D.                                
    Professor of Strategic Management
    Director, Division of Management & Entrepreneurship
    Price College of Business
    307 W. Brooks - Rm. 206A
    University of Oklahoma
    Norman, OK 73019-0450 USA
    +405.325.5689 (voice)
    +405.325.7688 (fax)
    Msharfman@ou.edu
    http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Mark.P.Sharfman-1/

    P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail or any attachments
     


    Linda Gasser, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, School of Business
    Ithaca College
    436 Park Center
    Ithaca, NY 14850
    lgasser@ithaca.edu
    Phone: 607-274-1915
    AND
    Lecturer in Human Resources, ILR School
    ADDRESS:
    157 Ives Hall
    Cornell University
    Ithaca, NY 14853
    e-mail:  LSG3@Cornell.edu
    Phone: 607-255-1228



  • 9.  managing your boss references

    Posted 10-09-2009 14:20
    In a message dated 10/8/2009 5:07:18 P.M. Central Daylight Time, DidacticRa@AOL.COM writes:
    I have a former student with an idiot for a boss and he needs some concrete suggestions beyond my very limited expertise in the area. 
     
    Dear Mark,
     
    My students frequently complained of "an idiot for a boss" and asked me to write something that they could give to their boss to read and talk about.  I finally relented and wrote Jessica's Web (2007).  My students found that having their boss read and discuss specified sections of the book helped to at least clarify the issues and at most "kick-start" the psychological partnership with their boss.  Contact Information Age Publishing at http://www.infoagepub.com to get a soft cover for $10. each when you buy ten copies.  Good luck.
     
    George Graen
    /jag