The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 41, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Page: 8 of 18
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Mercedes Enterprise—Page 8
www.mercedesenterprise.com
Mercedes, Texas 78570 Wednesday, October 8, 2008
&
How to manage your manager and still keep your job
Understand
the culture
Today’s average 21st-century workplace is,
to put it mildly, not your dear ol' dad’s office.
There are things like flex time, telecommuting,
e-mail and voice mail now.
“There is a trend toward a more casual envi-
ronment — less hierarchal interaction,” explains
Laura Crawshaw, a self-proclaimed “boss whis-
perer” and author of “Taming the Abrasive
Manager” (Jossey-Bass, $24.95).
Maybe you’re even one of the fortunate ones
— you actually like and get along well with
your supervisor. You spend coffee breaks
together, hang out on weekends and sometimes
even share secrets.
What that often means, Crawshaw says, is a
blurred line between employee and boss.
Even so, she advises, employees should
maintain a sense of decorum.
If Casual Friday happens all week, for
instance, fine, go ahead and wear your sneakers
and favorite (clean) T-shirt. But it’s still better
to err on the side of caution.
“Casual is good as long as respectful con-
duct is maintained,” she says.
Nicole Woolsey Biggart, dean of the
University of California-Davis’ Graduate
School of Management, agrees.
“Unless you’re indispensable, play it safe,"
Biggart says. “Until you really know the culture
and the players, you should act conservatively.”
That’s why it really should go without say-
ing, but we’ll say it anyway: The office is never,
ever, ever a place for sex jokes, bad hygiene,
rude behavior or mean gossip — updates on
Britney Spears excepted.
And, oh yeah, please remember to always
use your Inside Voice.
Pace your boss
OK, so let’s say — just for kicks — that
your boss shows up to work at 11 a.m. (Yeah,
we wish.) Is it cool for you to do the same?
Pretty much, says John McKee, a business
success coach based in Thousand Oaks, Calif..
It's all about following the standards set by
your supervisor, he explains.
"If your boss is prone to coming in early or
staying late, you should be there when (he or
she) is there,” McKee says. “Let them see you
have the same work ethic. That’s not brown-
nosing. If your boss is successful (because of)
your contributions, then he or she may give you
more resources.” (Or a bigger raise.)
It’s also important to understand your boss’
idea of office etiquette. Does he or she want to
be invited along on that Starbucks run? Included
in the morning “Dancing With the Stars” recap,
or named first in the e-mail CC field? (Yes, ,
some people do look.) 4
Figuring out such details can make
your job go more smoothly, Biggart
BY RACHEL LEIBROCK
McClatchy Newspapers
another Hallmark holiday," consider this:
According to a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau survey, more than 62
percent of adult Americans are employed full time or part time, so
unless you’ve just landed a sweet inheritance or cashed in on the lot-
tery, you probably need to strike "You're not the boss of me" from
your vocabulary.
We’re here to lend a hand. Here are some tips to help you mark
National Boss Day without losing your dignity (Suck-Up-Free Edition!)
and make it through the rest of the work year (relatively) unscathed.
Rational Boss Day is Oct. 16, but before you roll your eyes,
turn the page and mutter something about it being "just
says, but also remember that function over form
is equally important.
"There was a time when companies were
more concerned about fonn and process and who
was CC’d on a memo,” she says. "Now compa-
nies are a lot more results-oriented. How you
address someone on a memo isn’t as important."
Speak
S tand
------
up
One of the biggest mistakes
you can make is to blend into
the scenery, McKee says.
"There's no room for wall- j
flowers,” he says. “Self-pro- 1
motion is particularly impor- 1
tant when bosses have a big- 1
ger span of control and J
responsibilities.” ■
And no, that doesn’t mean t
you have to brag. Instead,
learn how to — gracefully — '
point out your accomplishments.
One of the best ways to do so,
McKee says, is to put it in
writing.
“Tell your supervisor, 'I know you’re busy
so why don’t I send an e-mail telling you what
I’m working on and what I’ve done?’” McKee
says. “Bosses love that kind of thing.”
Savvy employees also need to know how to
handle any conflicts that may arise with a
supervisor.
No one should have to put up with an abu-
sive manager, Crawshaw says.
“In the old days, a boss could behave as they
chose and there weren’t many conse-
quences," she says. "These days, it’s
a different environment — com-
a panics can’t afford to retain
abrasive bosses because
they’ll lose valuable
i employees.”
I So, if you do find your-
1 self with a boss-from-you-
■ know-where?
“Figure out why that
a person is so difficult
■ to work for,” Biggart
1 says. “You need a diagno-
/ sis — is that person neu-
rotic, going through a
divorce or some other kind
of stress?”
If that doesn’t work,
turn to your human resources department for
intervention, she says.
“Just don’t turn a blind eye to the problem”
Crawshaw says. "The myth is that we should all
like each other, but you do have the right to
work in a professional environment.”
Celebrate a
I good boss
But if, lucky you, you do have the World’s
Best Boss'? Show it — but show some restraint.
"The boss usually has the perks of the posi-
tion,” Biggart says. "But it's still always nice to
say ‘thank you’ to someone who's gone out of
their way to help or mentor you.”
A nice note should do the trick.
“I wouldn’t go out and buy the Rolex
watch,” Crawshaw says. "But if the boss is
doing something right, this is an opportunity to
reinforce their behavior and show your appreci-
ation.”
Yes, it is sort of like training a puppy,
Crawshaw says.
"If they’re doing something right, why not
feed them a biscuit?”
=======---,
It wasn't
Hallmark
Tyl
wi1
Polis:
Key
690T3
This one’s for the skeptics: National
Boss Day, believe it or not, was not invent-
ed by a greet ng card company.
Honest. The folks at Hallmark say so
=
the VS Chamber of Commerce.
Haro li chose Oct 16 to honor her
father (it was his birthday 1. whom the
thought of as the ideal boss. These days.
National Bow Day is celebrated interna-
nomally including in countries such as
Australia and South Africa.
Hallmark got into the game in 1979,
manufacturing the first National Bous Day
card. And in 2007. according to company
TOIEOIm s/aesth Oroniberr the comor
ny increased Its production of cards by 90
=
a it." Gronberg says. -(Buyers) want to
k strike the right tone lighthearted '
■ ^ and istoo personal.
"BEST'
BOSS
HOTO COURTESY OF NBC
PR-- -
V Bosses
AW mad * R.3 D.3 % R.3
aybe you can’t change your boss
without changing your job, but you
can at least dream of a world where
supervisors recognize your achieve-
ments and lavish you with generous bonuses.
Or, you can just change the channel.
Through the years, television has given us
some of the best — and worst — bosses.
Here’s our list of our five favorites, and the five
we would hate to run into in the lunchroom.
Love ’em
1. Michael Scott, “The Office”
He’s bumbling, insecure and often inappro-
priate but, that said, pretty much everyone
over at Team Dundler Mifflin (except for,
maybe, Toby in H.R.) knows that Michael .
Scott (Steve Carell) loves his employees.
Heck, he even sticks up for Dwight, and didn’t
he organize a charity “fun run” for Meredith
after he hit her with his car? Now, that’s com-
passionate leadership.
2. Lou Grant, "The Mary Tyler Moore
Show," "Lou Grant”
Cranky but still caring and wise — whether
Lou (Ed Asner) is barking out orders at sweet
MTM or navigating the ethical ins-and-outs of
journalism, we do love cantankerous (pretend)
editors.
3. Liz Lemon, "30 Rock"
New(ish) on the job and trying to herd a
chaotic crew, Lemon (Tina Fey) aces one of the
keys to success (for bosses and underlings alike):
Act like you know what you’re doing even when
you totally don’t know what you’re doing.
4. Sherman T. Potter, “M*A*S*H”
Head of the 4077th, Sherman T. Potter
(Hany Morgan) was a no-fuss commander who
led by example, treated others fairly and under-
stood the benefits of a late-afternoon cocktail.
5. Daniel Meade, "Ugly Betty”
Sure, there’s that whole troubling sex
addiction thing, but then again, Daniel (Eric
Mabius) gave Betty a great “bonus” —
tickets to Mexico to help with her father’s
immigration problems, the perfect gift for the
most awesome Administrative Professionals
Day, ever.
Leave 'em
1. Michael Scott, “The Office”
Oh Michael, Michael, Michael — blow-up
dolls are so not cool in the workplace. Neither
are, for starters, jokes about race, sex, age or
weight. Oh, and no more office hanky-panky
with your ex-boss-turned-girlfriend either.
Seriously, ewwww.
2. Tony Soprano, “The Sopranos”
If you’re living in deathly fear of your
annual job review with Mafia don Tony
Soprano (James Gandolfini), then it’s probably
time for a career change. And maybe an. out-
of-state move, new name and some plastic
surgery, too.
3. Montgomery Burns, "The Simpsons”
Heartless, greedy and exceptionally ugly,
Mr. Burns (voiced by Harry Shearer) makes
Ebenezer Scrooge seem downright lovely.
4. Ari Gold, “Entourage”
Angry, abrasive, abusive — Hollywood
super agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) redefines
the concept of Type A Personality.
5. Wihelmina Slater, "Ugly Betty”
As Mode magazine’s scheming creative
director, Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams)
is as self-absorbed, evil and Botoxed as she is
gorgeous and beautifully accessorized.
— McClatchy Newspapers
• v
Steve Carell as Michael Scott, the boss that everyone loves to hate on NBC’s "The Office."
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The Mercedes Enterprise (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 41, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 8, 2008, newspaper, October 8, 2008; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1655735/m1/8/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.