5 Lessons I Learnt from Managers Who Were Hated
I haven’t come across any manager who does not have any flaws or is loved by everyone. As a manager, you are not known to be a crowd-pleaser; you are a leader, mentor, and a doer. Like any human, managers have their flaws, and instead of calling them out, we should learn from their mistakes.
In over a decade of experience in the corporate world, I had the opportunity to work with numerous managers. Each of them had a different personality, flaws, successes, quirks, some more efficient than others, but they all had one thing in common: They were not perfect.
For me, however, this was the most resourceful opportunity I could’ve been presented with, and here’s how.
The ringmaster
He was strict to the extent that you might wonder that he never cried in his life. But he successfully made half his team cry every single day. He was my first manager at my first job. He was strict, he did not care for human emotions, but he delivered numbers better than anyone could ever do. His people skills were nowhere to be seen, but he was a genius when it came to excel and data management.
Rule # 1 — Always focus on learning.
I learned how to be goal-oriented and how not to treat people. These learnings still help me with the way I manage my team.
The king of breaks
You must have guessed it right. A manager who was always on a break. Employees came whenever they wanted and worked the way they wanted. Eventually they realised not having a manager isn’t a blessing. Our team lacked goals, and there was no one to guide or mentor them.
Rule # 2- Take Ownership.
I saw an opportunity to take ownership and I grabbed it with both hands. I started creating reports, conducted analysis, managed schedules, and breaks for my team. I was not an expert, and I did not get it right the first time. But I eventually did, and my team members appreciated my work, and I loved what I did.
The Family Guy
Well, not the beloved cartoon series but a person who wanted to resolve everything with love. His team was one big family, but the line defining the head of the family was so far away that it was a faint dot. The need to be loved by everyone superseded the need to lead.
All was not wrong with the way he managed the team. The performance was exceptional, but (there’s always a but), during any conflict, employees failed to respect him. They would raise their voice and talk, the way they shouldn’t with anyone.
Rule # 3 — Draw a line.
You must respect your team members as individuals with great skills & commitment, and support them and their aspirations. However, you must never cross the line and get too personal. It does not add value to your leadership or your team’s morale by knowing what they had for lunch or what time they sleep.
The Hubris King
He is an honorary mention in my list of managers who helped me learn an important skill. A very senior and experienced individual that I looked up to. One fine afternoon I received an email that he had signed off a policy change and backdated the implementation by two and a half months. This change in policy had severe implications for all our employees.
Rule # 4 — Always stand for the right thing
I wrote an email to him requesting the implementation of this policy from the next calendar month, so we get an opportunity to reduce the impact and familiarize our employees with the new guidelines. His response was “I signed off the policy” — Which meant that since he had approved the policy, there was no further discussion required. After numerous email exchanges with him and HR, I convinced them to implement the policy from the next calendar month. All our employees were happy, and they did not lose their hard-earned money. Always stand for the right thing, especially when it comes to protecting your team members’ rights.
The Battle Royal Champion
The emperor of conquerors. A loud and aggressive manager who never took ‘No’ for an answer. He was a people person and created an excellent relationship with the clients. When he needed a resource, budget, or anything else that would’ve made him and his team succeed, he would go to any length to make it happen. Due to his aggressiveness, he always came out as rude to the people on the other side of the table. This behavior eventually led to his downfall.
Rule # 5 — Be aggressive towards your goals but not people
Looking back at my manager’s success and failure, I do believe that one should be aggressive towards achieving success but not at the cost of losing credibility as a professional leader. There are always ways to get what you need, but along the way, do not leave a trail of bodies. Even if it does not lead to your downfall, it will tarnish your reputation as a sensible and professional leader.
While these were the icing on my cake, I had the luxury to sample and eat the rest of the cake as well. Life is all about learning from experiences, and I still have a long way to go. I am happy that I got to work with all my managers. These experiences shaped my managerial skills for good.
Always be on the lookout to learn something new. In my experience, you will get to learn from more mistakes than from successes.
