Workplace management
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
If possible, find a new job with a better manager if your current one is incompetent or horrible.
Staying with an incompetent or horrible manager can cause months of unhappiness.
- Some cannot leave due to financial constraints.
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Handle rule-breaking on the spot, but conduct all discipline in private.
Never tear someone down in front of others.
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Always follow up on delegated tasks to ensure they are treated as a priority.
People will assume the task does not matter if you do not follow up.
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Show employees you care through small gestures like buying food, hanging out after work, or offering simple thanks.
These actions can make employees feel appreciated and more dedicated to finishing jobs and meeting deadlines.
- Some people prefer to keep personal and work lives strictly separate and find social outings annoying.
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Let your team take credit for successes to keep them productive and happy.
There is no reason to steal accolades.
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Manage workplace relationships carefully; even excellent performance may not prevent dismissal if you fail to get along with colleagues.
Run from a job if your manager insists on meddling in your work while not understanding it.
- Such managers may have no technical knowledge, not be subject matter experts, and gobble up time in meetings to hear their own voice.
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Invest in training employees even if they might leave, as failing to do so leads to stagnation for those who stay.
Not investing in employees who stay results in negative outcomes.
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Own early employee mistakes as a management failure rather than blaming the employee.
The failure is on management; it is a problem for the boss to manage or react to.
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Care about your people and place their well-being above your ego.
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Accept a lower salary in exchange for having a better boss.
It's that important.
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Arrive on time or a few minutes early to meetings and work.
If you are late constantly, employees will catch on and feel justified in being late themselves.
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Choose your manager and team over the organization when selecting a job, as they impact daily experience more.
One difficult person can easily ruin a good situation.
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Point out when employees are not doing their best and when they show improvement.
Failing to address poor performance is a disservice; consistent feedback on improvement allows for growth.
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Learn important personal dates for employees, such as birthdays and anniversaries, and grant time off when possible.
This demonstrates that you care about them as people.
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Allow subordinates to make mistakes once; if they repeat the same error, address it as a failure to learn.
If subordinates stop bringing issues to you, you have problems
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If leaving the company is not an option but the management style is causing emotional or psychological suffering, request a lateral transfer.
The situation will not get better and may cause long-term negative effects.
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Recognize that a friendly boss's primary loyalty is to their own income and upper management directives.
They may not care about your financial well-being; for example, reducing spending on your time may result in overtime costs for full-time employees.
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Seek jobs where colleagues are productive even when the boss is absent.
These workplaces often pay better, have better people, and feature bosses who aid efficiency rather than micromanage.
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Maintain your own emotional composure and treat subordinates fairly to build lasting loyalty.
Bosses who are fair, just, and have their emotions together are the ones employees stick with.
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Avoid becoming close social friends with contractors or vendors.
Personal closeness may cause you to overlook misconduct such as theft.
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When correcting a non-expert manager, explain why their suggestions might not work and offer solutions calmly to avoid making them feel stupid.
Soft skills become more important for career success as you move higher in an organization.
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Learn from poor leadership by doing the exact opposite of what bad bosses did.
Observing horrendous leadership provides lessons through contrast.
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Clearly define job duties, performance goals, and line of work for underperforming employees and stick to that definition.
Unclear duties and goals create ambiguity.
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When highlighting employees who worked long hours, apologize for the failure that caused it and explain how to avoid it in the future.
Exclusively highlighting long hours creates a culture where that is expected; explaining the root cause addresses the actual issue.
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Support self-driven employees who bring plans and ideas by coaching them and then getting out of their way.
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Overwhelm a micromanager with frequent progress reports and feedback.
Once they realize you are trustworthy, they usually back off.
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Stop micromanaging employees, as it drags down morale and wastes resources.
Micromanagement drags down employee morale and is a waste of resources.
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Leave a job if the company has higher-than-normal staff turnover for its industry.
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Listen to subordinates' suggestions for improvement.
People feel appreciated when listened to, and employees often have the best ideas due to their experience doing the job.
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Work hard most of the time to build a reputation as a good worker.
Bosses usually tolerate occasional slacking if you have established a strong work ethic.
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Accept ultimate responsibility when your team makes mistakes.
You are in charge.
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Manage workplace relationships carefully; even excellent performance may not prevent dismissal if you fail to get along with colleagues.
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Provide tangible, unexpected support for personal crises, such as driving kids to school, to stop employees from stressing or being late.
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Elevate your team's abilities through support and proper training to make your own job easier and improve customer experience.
It positively affects the customer experience and allows workers to perform duties efficiently with less stress.
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Discuss shared team challenges rather than personal complaints.
Personal stuff can ruin morale.
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Outline the priorities you believe need follow-up during your manager's absence to demonstrate understanding of their role.
It demonstrates you understand their context, role, and responsibility.
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Be generally nice and positive to coworkers and clients to protect future work opportunities.
Having enemies at work eliminates future opportunities, and being liked can help retain a job even if performance is poor, whereas being hated makes retention unlikely.
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Explain the value of tasks and clearly communicate expectations instead of trying to scare employees by referencing stricter managers.
Referencing stricter managers highlights your own shortcomings rather than motivating compliance.
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If you are a teacher in a toxic environment, move on even if the school attempts to retain you through salary increases or sabotages your reference.
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Respond to passive-aggressive or combative coworkers with kindness, such as thanking them for catching mistakes, to exhaust their aggression.
They may eventually become exhausted or seek easier targets, turning their aggression toward each other instead.
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If a manager tries to retain you through nefarious means like sabotaging your references, leave immediately.
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As a leader, take responsibility for your subordinates' emotional states while refusing to let them be responsible for yours.
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Read 'Extreme Ownership' by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin to see how ego affects communication with your team.
It helped one person see how their own ego was affecting how they communicated with their team.
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When speaking with executives, clarify the basis of your conclusions by using phrases like 'In the past,' 'From what I understand,' or 'In my opinion.'
Using 'In my opinion' allows you to state a position while remaining open to change.
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Document agreements and responsibilities in writing to protect yourself from blame for things you did not agree to.
If it is not documented, it did not happen; otherwise others may dump responsibility on you.
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Deflect unauthorized requests by stating you will email your manager to clear it first, copying the requester.
This diffuses the situation.
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Focus on tasks that matter to executives and focus on roles that directly generate revenue or are vital to organizational success.
These jobs tend to be better paid, offer faster promotion rates, and are less likely to be eliminated during mergers compared to support roles.
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Be assertive and ambitious to advance in your department.
Timidity can hinder advancement into higher ranks.
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Set expectations firmly while remaining friendly and approachable, avoiding power-hungry behavior.
Looking power hungry is a rookie mistake.
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