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Employers Are About to Take Back Control

rjs330

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lol, it sounds like you read a lot of management books.
I read a lot of leadership.books. Books by John Maxwell, Simon Sinnek, Jon Gordon, Patrick Lencioni. One of the top books I've read is The Leadership Challenge. I've been to 4 leadership training courses, and attended at least 3 other courses on line. I listen to three different leadership.podcasta and also am currently taking another leadership training. I will be attending another this fall.

As a leader I work very hard to help my team members grow. I have one on one sessions with them to help them grow and offer my assistance with everything. We talk, we train, we eat together and work together. They set their own goals and I help them reach them. I work with them and show them how they can create greater success for themselves. Coaching and mentoring. All with as much positivity as I can.

I have high expectations of my team because they can meet them. And I never set expectations that they cannot meet. I show them how they can meet them. I help them meet them, I remove obstacles in their way that might prevent them from meeting them.
They receive constant and consistent feedback. And you know what? They are consistently a high performing team.

I didn't come by this naturally. I had to learn it. I had to work at it. I had to understand what my real job was, which was to be a leader most of the time and a manager only when absolutely required.

I've worked with a couple of employees that r fused to be led. So they had to be managed. But that was their choice, not mine. I had one that needed to be managed, but moved to being able to be led. He grew a lot.

If you are really interested in learning about this I would highly recommend those authors. They have taught me how a real leader works.
 
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rjs330

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Actually I have not neglected to mention management issues. In fact my last post mentioned one.

I decided to note employee issues when all I was seeing was management bashing. It was time to make note that employees are no better and sometimes worse.

And I did mention for in one of my posts as well. Sometimes an employee is not a good fit. And they should leave to parent a lot of stress on themselves and their leaders. You need to buy into the companies vision and if you don't then leaving is the right thing to do. Maybe you discover you don't look me making widgets. Well you should go find something you do like doing. It is becoming even more imperative that companies hire for fit and not just for bodies. More and more are realizing this. Which is good.

Just cause you are doing the work doesn't entitle you to the position. Honestly people note your attitude. It comes across. I had a conversation with a guy not to long ago who thought he deserved a leadership position. He was passed over once. I asked him why he thought he deserved it and he pretty much said what you just did. I asked him some more questions and he began to realize that he was looking at it all wrong. Yes doing good work is great, but there is much more to being a leader than that. So he began the work to show his bosses that he was ready to move up. If he follows through he will have a great chance at it.

It's never helped you? Maybe you need to.take a hard look at yourself. Maybe you are doing it wrong. What kind of leadership
books have you read? What kind of leadership are you doing at work? Are you a 360 leader? Or are you a clock watcher? Do you job just so you can go home at 5? You are going around talking to your teammates and asking how you can help.them and add to their day? Are you sitting with your bosses and asking them how you can help them and benefit them? What can you do better? What are you actively doing to make the company better, you teammates and your Leaders better? What are you doing to make yourself better?
 
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rjs330

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I wanted to address this separately. I've got great people I work with. The majority of the people I work with are not lazy or entitled. I've worked with a couple that are.

I've been that guyz the employee who was dissatisfied, kinda lazy, didn't want to put in the effort. I was screwed over but my bosses etc. Then I had a wake up call. Realized that my attitude was the problem. It was me, not them. After that, I changed. And I gained success.

I'm not entitled to anything, and neither are you. We have to earn our way.

What we see is people who work at a company for a short while and think they deserve as much money or positions as the person who has put in the time. By virtue of just filling the space. I've seen it. I've actually been that guy.

I am proud of the team I work with. I work hard with them,.to help them be successful. And some of them will be. Some won't, cause they just refuse to buy in. They want success without the requisite methods. Then they get a bad attitude and blame everyone around them instead of looking at themselves.

But I have to say we've built a great team. I love the people I work with. A couple have been challenging but you know what, I love them too. In fact one of them doubled their productivity after we worked together for a while. It's because THEY did it. And I was proud of them for doing it and I told them that.

So I apologize if I came across too harsh on employees. I was just getting tired of hearing all the management bashing and employer bashing and making it sound like employees.were.all victims.

The truth is managers and employees all have to be better to do better. And if your boss really is a jackass. Then leaving is the right thing to do.

But ask yourself one question. Is your boss just trying to.make you better?

Sometimes if you just change your point of view it changes your world. It did for me.
 
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rjs330

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Bad managers call it "room to grow", but mean, "Bigger bonus for me"

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That's correct. And there are bad managers out there. We as humans are often selfish and entitled. We have to consciously and purposefully fight against that. We've all worked for the crummy boss. The screw you over boss.

But let's be honest, we've also worked with the 9-5 employee. The one that is average or less than average. Who will cut corners play on their phone, do as little as possible. Then whine if asked to do.more. Maybe you are that guy. I know I was.

But I discovered that my attitude was a chunk of my problem. I was never going to have any success with the attitude I had. And I changed it. It made a world of difference for me and helped me be successful. Yea it did mean I had to do more work without extra pay. But I did it anyway. And I did it with a can do positive attitude. And my bosses took notice. I never whined never fussed and constantly supported them recognizing they were under pressure.

And guess what, I became successful. I learned that the extra work and effort combined with a positive supporting attitude made a difference. Will it work in every company? I would say not. There are bad companies with a bad culture of bad bosses.
But I don't think most companies are like that. I also don't think most employees are bad either. But I have learned that one or two negative employees can sour a whole bunch.
Dnt be an energy vampire, as a boss or as an employee. Have a positive outlook, work hard, do some extra without complaint and have gratitude and it will help take you places.

You don't like the whole "morale will increase or the beatings will continue" idea.
Your supervisors don't like "I demand that you make me happy and satisfied by meeting all.my demands" idea either.

Maybe your boss is just trying to make you better. Before you start saying your boss sucks take a hard look at yourself. If you can honestly say you are doing your best with a good positive attitude, and you are trying to make everyone around you, including your boss successful and your boss still sucks, well maybe it is time to rind a new.job. b cauae lets face it, some people are not really cut out to be leaders. They are just egotistical power hungry jackasses.
 
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PsaltiChrysostom

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The problem is that some of us have dealt with managers who should have NEVER have been in management positions.

I had one manager write me up because I wasnt on an email list that she was supposed to put me on. Her response was "Why didnt you ask me to be put on the list?" Uh, cause I had no idea that that email group existed?

Type A manager that nearly cost me my marriage, sanity and near the end, I was suicidal. I was working 80+ hours per week and subject to verbal and emotional abuse for two years. My direct manager (see above) simply told me to be grateful I had a job.

Next manager was supposed to do a presentation for the DoD but the DoD wouldn't let her load the presentation files on their servers. She asked me to hack into the DoD and load them. Uh.... you want me to commit a federal crime?
 
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RocksInMyHead

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Actually I have not neglected to mention management issues. In fact my last post mentioned one.
No, you criticized an individual. Any generalized problems, you've laid on employees. Quiet quitting? Employees are lazy. Reduced productivity? Employees are lazy. High turnover? Employees are entitled and selfish.

There are absolutely lazy, entitled, and selfish employees - maybe even slightly more than there used to be. But it's not a systemic issue any more than crappy bosses are a systemic issue. The systemic issues, of which the above problems are merely a symptom, are income inequality and the prioritization of profits over people - and both of those are company/management issues. That doesn't mean that all managers are out to screw you over, but it does mean that a significant percentage of them are - and if they aren't, the company itself probably is.
 
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rjs330

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Well you know most managers have never been in a management position. Everyone has a first time. And just like every single job you do is probably a first time. You've probably heard the complaint "They want experience that's why I want hired. Well how am I supposed to get experience if no one hires me?"

I'm sorry you've had such crappy experiences. And I can see how that would jade your outlook.

Yeah all those managers were completely in the wrong. While I haven't had anyone ask me to do something illegal, I have had managers chew me out for something I had no idea it wasn't what they wanted.

No one should be asked to work 80 hours a week for 40 hours pay. I worked a job once where I worked 6 days a week and an extra 10 hours at night. For a total of 58 hours a week. That was exhausting.

I'm sure we all have tales of crummy bosses. I'm sure bosses all have tales of crummy employees.

What I'm trying to get across is not to just look at the other side as everyone is terrible. There are just as many bad employees as there are bosses. Bosses are not your enemy and employees are not bosses enemies. It shouldn't be.

I've found that many employees think they know how to run things, but when they get I to a supervisor position they realize it's a way different animal than they thought. I know I did. I had a learning curve, but you know what I tackled it with determination to get better and learn. I've got a whole library of books I've read and principles I've learned. No one asked me to do it, I just did it. I'm thankful I did.

Hopefully you will not get too sour and will pursue some purposeful growth. It's good for all of us.
 
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rjs330

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Ah ha! Now you are understanding it! At least a little.

But you are still laying all the blame on management. You will never succeed doing that. A significant percentage are not trying to screw you over. You know what I have discovered. You can give an employee a raise and they won't work any harder than they did before. I've seen it more than once.

And companies that continually screw their employees over for profit, won't stay successful for long. Too much turn over.
 
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PsaltiChrysostom

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Although I'm not in direct management, I do have my PMP from 2015 and have management experience.
 
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RocksInMyHead

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You know what I have discovered. You can give an employee a raise and they won't work any harder than they did before. I've seen it more than once.
You don't give raises to encourage employees to work harder. You give raises to encourage employees to stay with the company - to inspire loyalty - or as a reward for hard work. If you already expect 100% out of them, giving them more money isn't going to magically increase their output to 120%.
And companies that continually screw their employees over for profit, won't stay successful for long. Too much turn over.
The executives generally don't care. They still get their golden parachutes and can jump to the next company to continue the cycle.
 
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PsaltiChrysostom

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I worked without a raise from 2000 to 2006. "Just be glad you have a job" was management's mantra.
 
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rjs330

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If an employee gives 50% they are not loyal to the company. They are there to give as little as possible to get by and go home. Those that give a 100% will do so with or without a raise. You should give a raise to those who are giving a 100%. As a reward for their work. You can't give 101%. Don't be silly.

Employees who think raises are automatically owed won't give a 100% no matter what. But those who are working hard will appreciate the raise and be more loyal to the company. I've seen this in action.
I don't really know what you are talking about. The majority of employees work for smaller companies. They are not working for gigantic organizations whos CEO is in a glass office on the top floor. They don't work for companies with unlimited amounts of money.

Honestly I really question if you really understand how this all works. It sounds like you bought the leftist thought processes that everything is owed to you, that all companies are out to screw over the little guy and are so bloated with money that they can just make all the employees wealthy if they just gave some if it up.

Sure there are some gigantic companies that do that, but most people don't work for those kinds of companies. I was listening to the CEO for Delta the other day (I don't remember if he still is the CEO) but he sounded like a great guy. He worked very hard to create a strong positive organization that strive to take care of their people.

Comon man, not everyone is out to screw you over. Can we at least agree that the employee employer problems are 50/50?
 
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RocksInMyHead

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You said:
Nowhere in my posts have I advocated for giving people indiscriminate raises or raises to get them to work harder, so the only conclusion I could draw from your statement was that you believed that the only value in a raise would be to get more work out of an employee (which is obviously incorrect).
The majority of employees work for smaller companies.
That's objectively false. Approximately 46% of Americans are employed by small businesses (defined as less than 500 employees).

 
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Hvizsgyak

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But in God's world, why would anybody think that's right. And bad part of it is really the bait the employers put out to snag salary workers - better benefits aka healthcare, 401k savings, paid vacations, paid sick leave. Why can't this be given to every employee. I feel for Christians to participate in this type of dealings they are reaffirming Charles Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest". Go to college, become a professional and have a better life. Become a laborer and your life will be one long struggle to make ends meet. Now for both of these that's not true in every case but the majority it probably is the case.

Why do we do this to people is beyond me. When I was a programmer analyst, there were weeks before deadlines where I was working over 60 hrs a week. There were days where I didn't go home and stayed at work for 24 hrs. Not right.

I know we need businesses to succeed for America to succeed but I truly believe we can correct the problem for all workers but businesses don't want to take the risk. I don't know, I just want people who are struggling to not have to struggle all their lives. God is with them all the way, hopefully they will recognize Him and be a comfort to them.
 
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iluvatar5150

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All of that sounds great, but you’re an outlier. Your experiences aren’t remotely representative of the rest of the workforce. I’m in my 40’s. I’ve worked a variety of jobs, hourly, salaried, huge companies and tiny ones. I’ve had exactly one manager do regular one-on-ones with me.
 
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PsaltiChrysostom

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Let's discuss Leo Apotheker? Maybe Carly Fiorina? Hey, how about our favorite Steve Jobs wanna be, Elizabeth Holmes. Oh, Enron comes to mind as well.

I'm not saying every company is like that, but after 35 years in the workforce, I've learned that my loyalty to a company is not worth the contract its written on. I don't mind pulling some late nights and volunteering for assignments that are going to be a stretch. Heck, in my current position, I'm a senior system administrator, trained and mentored about 8 of my counterparts, and I love my work. But if someone said, "Hey, we're offering you a 7 figure job", my office chair would be spinning so fast, it would probably take off.
 
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KCfromNC

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Don't expect to work 32 hours and get paid as if it were 40.

Weird how salaries need to go down if exempt employees work fewer hours, but when employees refuse to work longer hours because the salaries don't increase it's suddenly laziness and "quiet quitting".

I guess those management consultants earned their money if this is now the expectation of managers.
 
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KCfromNC

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That all sounds great, but there are a LOT of businesses that couldn't do that. Not because they want to hose employees but because they can't get enough workers to fill the time when needed.

Seems like a problem money could fix - either by paying current employees more since they're fixing problems management can't, or by offering better salaries to attract more employees.

But no, let's complain that the current employees are being lazy because they're doing their job.
 
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KCfromNC

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Hi turnover is another employee issue. It costs companies a lot of money to train a new person to do the job. When employees bail on a company soon after hiring it's costing the company more money.

Seems like managers need to do a better job retaining employees. I wonder if throwing around terms like "quiet quitting" or "slacking" is helping or hurting?


Seems like a staffing problem. Why hasn't management "worked together" and hired the correct number of people do deal with perfectly normal and predictable events like employees taking a few vacation days?


Yes, employees are going to look out for the welfare of themselves and their families instead of a company. You're really hoping people in a capitalist society won't put their self interests first?


I notice there's exactly zero in here about employers staffing at reasonable levels and pay increases that keep up with inflation and the salaires offered to people who jump ship to the competition. I think we all all know why - this sort of "we're all in this together" talk is an attempt to guilt employees into working extra hours to fix a problem management doesn't want to spend money on.
 
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KCfromNC

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Seems like a problem money can solve.


Seems only fair that the increased scope is accompanied by an increase in salary for that employee.
 
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