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Is Your Boss a “Screamer”?

September 17, 2007 By 1 Comment

When my stepchildren were involved in youth sports, I remember a conversation among the parents in which we would wonder about the new coach. People would ask, “Is this person a screamer. In other words, except for when the coach is shouting encouragement or trying to get a player’s attention from across the field, does the coach routinely yell at the players – especially if they make a mistake , which (news flash to ALL coaches) they frequently do because they are learning how to play? We did not like the screamer coaches.

I’ve noted before that there are many websites devoted entirely to bad bosses (e.g., www.badbossology.com, www.badbosses.net). A question being asked around the water cooler is now, “Is that boss a screamer? In other words, is this boss someone who yells at his/her staff? It is a pretty sad state of affairs when this happens.

Well, here is the deal. It is NEVER OK for a boss to yell at a peer or a direct report in the workplace and that includes one-on-one meetings as well as larger gatherings. I think the worst example of this kind of behavior I have witnessed was when I was asked to coach the CEO of a small privately held services company several years ago. This CEO spent the entire leadership team meeting publicly humiliating each member of his team , for very trivial things. And if a given VP had not done anything wrong, this CEO would still berate them on general principles. What was even more amazing is that this team put up with it.

This happened to me once. It was about twenty years ago, and my boss started screaming at me because I responded to a request from her boss directly without having my boss review it before it was sent , not that my boss ever communicated this expectation. We were in the boss’ office. When she finished, I very calmly said, “It is quite reasonable for you to communicate your expectations about how you want me to handle a given situation. It is not acceptable for you to scream at me. I treat you with respect and I expect the same in return. My boss sat in stunned silence. She then apologized and said that she might have overreacted.

Sometimes bosses scream because they are scared of something , and more often than not because the organization has allowed the person to get away with it. Simply letting them know what is and is not acceptable , very calmly , will work most of the time. When it does not , then you have more data that will help you decide what to do. About six months after my conversation, I started my own company.

Filed Under: Jobs and Careers, Management Development, Observations, Work place issues

The Coach Needs to Learn a Thing or Two

September 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Last spring I wrote a blog about the hiring of Tim Brewster as the head football coach at the University of Minnesota.  My main point was that I thought it was a mistake to hire someone who had absolutely no head coaching experience at any level to run a Division IA football program.  I certainly wished the coach and program success, but was extremely skeptical that good things would happen.  In addition to a 1-2 record against weak non-conference opponents, I think I was justified in my criticism of this hire , for another completely different reason.

I was in Minneapolis last week conducting a couple of days of training and happened to catch an interview with Coach Brewster on the local radio station that broadcasts the Gopher football games.  The interviewer asked the coach about the process of recruiting , supposedly the main reason the University of Minnesota Athletic Director hired this guy , and I was dumbfounded by the answer.  First of all, the over-the-top positive thinking platitudes have this guy sounding like a cross between a motivational speaker and a used car salesman.  More importantly, he showed how out of touch he is with the current high school generation, when he said “I’m not just asking a kid to make a four year commitment to Minnesota, I’m asking them to make a 40 to 50 year commitment because they will love living here.

A couple of things¦  I lived in the Minneapolis , St. Paul area for more than thirty years, return frequently, and think it is a wonderful place.  And some athletes do in fact stay in the Twin Cities after they finish their playing career.  However, to ask a member of the youngest generation to make a 40-50 year commitment shows a complete lack of understanding of this group.  Young student athletes see choosing a college where they will play football as a four year , or less if they are a blue chip player , commitment period.  Once they have lived in Minneapolis for a while, they may see its advantages, but to tell a high school athlete they are making a multi-decade commitment at the tender age of 18 may be a bit scary.

One of things a leader needs to recognize is that everything he/she says is magnified greatly and everyone pays attention , even alumni!

We’ll see what other things the coach has to say.

Filed Under: Generational Issues, Observations

Knowing Someone Can Count on You

September 10, 2007 By Leave a Comment

I heard a story a while back that shows the power of a team , in an unexpected way. One member of a departmental team in a business organization had fallen on hard times. That person’s six-year-old daughter had a serious illness that really impacted his presence at work and his performance, and as a result, his team’s performance. Without any coaching from the team’s supervisor, the team came together for a meeting. They collectively realized that anyone of them could be in the other person’s shoes at some point in their lives, so they decided to do what it takes to carry this person’s load. In addition to covering the work responsibilities, they also collectively pooled their sick leave and vacation time to minimize for this person’s having to take days without pay at a time when he could least afford it. To make a long story short, his daughter completely recovered and as a result of their actions the team was stronger.

In looking at the relationships in your life do you have friends at work or in your personal life who would go to “hell and back for you when you are going through a rough time. I made a choice a long time ago that that was the kind of friend I wanted to be. I’ve certainly had my rough spots and my friends were there for me in many different ways. So when I tell someone, it is OK to call me anytime, I mean it. And what is important, it is not a quid pro quo kind of thing. It is just the right thing to do. In the above story, each team member was clear there was no other way they would have wanted to behave.

Filed Under: Observations, Team Development, Work place issues