[acb-hsp] Why Being a Mean Boss Will Help Your Company

[peter altschul]

Why Being A Meaner Boss Will Help Your Company--And Make Your 
Employees Happy
  BY Denis Wilson 04-13-2012 10:00 AM
  Everybody likes to be liked.  And unless you're the type of 
boss who revels in tyranny, it's only natural to seek the favor 
of your underlings.  But there's a big difference between 
engaging with employees and fawning over them.
  In an era when the virtues of a collegial and collaborative 
environment are widely espoused, there's guilt associated with 
being a strong-handed boss.  Managers are often afraid to pull 
rank for fear they'll fall out of grace with their reports and 
spoil team camaraderie if they're not nice.  "So many leaders, 
supervisors, and bosses suffer from a nice-guy conflict," says 
Bruce Tulgand, author of It's Okay to Be the Boss: The 
Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need.  
"Managers are afraid that people will think they're a jerk."
  Quite frankly, being nice is overrated.  In fact, a 2011 study 
"Do Nice Guys--and Gals--Really Finish Last?" posits that 
disagreeable people are more successful.  The study, which 
appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 
showed that disagreeable people (especially men) earn more money 
and are perceived as better leaders.  The research has too often 
been used to draw the conclusion that being mean is a good thing, 
says study co-author Beth A.  Livingston of Cornell University.  
Which isn't necessarily the case.  Rather, the lesson here is 
that some people could stand to be less nice.
  "Disagreeableness is a multifaceted trait," says Livingston.  
Less agreeable people are generally "people who don't really care 
what you think." Unconcerned with stepping on toes or being 
unpopular, they cut a clear path to the brass ring and make more 
decisive leaders--which is especially important because building 
consensus often doesn't translate to success.
  Let the performance be the arbiter-unless you're running a 
commune.
  One HR exec at a tech company tells the story of acquiring a 
startup with a culture that was so consensus-driven that they 
couldn't decide on which features to cut in order to keep 
projects on schedule and budget.  "Products were delayed, but 
according to them they had the `best culture` in the world," he 
says.
  Less-agreeable people are also more likely to advocate for 
themselves and for others--a huge part of being a leader.  A 
moderately disagreeable person might have the attitude, "I'm not 
going to step on people willy-nilly, but I'm not going to let 
people step on me, either," says Livingston.
  Nice people tend to be too considerate and afraid to initiate 
structure, which can be trouble for a startup trying to establish 
itself as a legitimate business.  Livingston cited Facebook's 
Mark Zuckerberg as a good example of someone who realized that if 
he wanted to continue as the creative, likable boss in 
flip-flops, he needed to have a bad cop around to bust some 
heads.  "He hired [Sheryl Sandberg] from Google and she whipped 
everybody into shape.  They were pretty chaotic before that."
  Even in these kinder, more collaborative times, someone has to 
set priorities, pull the plug on an unprofitable project, or fire 
someone who's not pulling his weight.  If the reins lay in your 
hands, here are some tips to help you tighten your hold without 
being labeled a meanie.
  ininDon't Be Weakinin Many bosses are reluctant managers 
because they're afraid to come off as jerks, says Tulgan.  
"Really, if employees think a boss is a jerk, it's when they're 
too weak." Weakling managers don't take the time to manage on a 
daily basis.  They let small problems build up into big problems.  
They pretend to be friends, but when things go south they show 
their true colors.  And the only time they own their authority is 
when they're angry with someone.  "Be brave enough to own your 
authority before things go wrong," says Tulgan.
  ininWork it Out inin"Don't fall for the myth of the natural 
leader," says Tulgan.  "If you want to be in good shape, you have 
to train every day." Talk to people one-on-one, understand what 
their problems are, and remind them of how their role fits into 
the greater mission at hand.  The big mistake that managers make, 
says Tulgan, is waiting until they have to give bad news or make 
a hard decision to start managing.  They haven't laid the 
groundwork.  "If the only time you manage is when you have bad 
news, then every time they see you coming they'll say `Oh no, 
here he comes.`"
  ininBuild Structure ininStructure is not a dirty word to 
employees.  In many cases, they crave it.  Philadelphia-based 
knowledge network startup, Quewey recently brought on a CEO and 
the organizational changes have been welcomed by the group.  "We 
realized that we needed a pointed decision maker," says Michael 
Magill, of Quewey's business development and finance.  "A lot of 
day-to-day decisions come up that don't seem like big decisions, 
but they really mold your strategy.  At a certain point, younger 
workers will begin to wonder who is responsible for managing the 
overall direction, message, and strategy of a business." Magill 
says that having a defined leader has helped people understand 
their roles, set the founder's vision in sight, streamline 
processes, and increase delegation.  And projects that would have 
otherwise remained in the brainstorming stage actually see 
action.
  ininMonitor Performance ininManagers sometimes struggle with 
rewarding employees, fearing that others will feel passed over, 
like when giving out raises or offering a better office space.  
"Let the performance be the arbiter--unless youbre running a 
commune," says Tulgan.
  If you keep close track of each person's performance and what's 
going on with the team, decisions will be respected.  Tulgan says 
that leaders need to also show employees that they will help them 
earn promotions and find success.
  ininSeparate Wheat From The Chaff ininThe same goes for firing 
someone who's dragging down the team.  If you're talking with 
your team every day and making clear what takes priority and what 
should be back-burnered, reports will have a clear sense of what 
needs to be done and you'll know who's delivering and who's not.  
And don't assume chopping a few heads will be received poorly by 
the high-performers.  Says Tulgan: "Usually what managers find is 
that employees say, 'What took you so long"'" Low performers take 
up money that might otherwise be available for a raise, and they 
undermine teamwork.  Good workers recognize this.
  ininShare Information ininSome managers try to keep too much 
information too close to their chest.  Then when the axe comes 
down, folks are shocked and angered--and you come off as mean and 
callous.  By explaining the facts up front, you'll save a lot of 
heartache.  For example, "If we delay this project, none of us 
will see our annual bonus." Employees will respond to your 
transparency and know what lays ahead.
  ininHold Yourself Responsible ininTake ownership for bad news.  
If the news is a result of your own poor business decisions, take 
the blame, says Tulgan.  "I'm gonna take a bullet, but webre all 
gonna suffer." If the news is based on a decision from above, 
don't just blame it on the guys at corporate.  "That undermines 
everybody's confidence in the organization and the chain of 
command.  Because that's your source of authority, it weakens 
you." Explain the business decisions that were made, and how it 
will affect the company.
  Copyright B) 2012 Mansueto Ventures LLC.  All rights reserved.