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Showing posts with label kruschev. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kruschev. Show all posts
How your Boss talks to his/her Superior: #8 - The Minister
The Minister differs from the Lieutenant in three key ways. Firstly, they have their own agenda, and enough power and/or a weak enough Superior to pursue it independently. Secondly, they have reasonable expectations of the Superior’s job in the near future and are brave enough to try and encourage that. Reagans, Hitlers, Kennedys and Krushchevs are all prone to have Ministers rather than Lieutenants. Thirdly, it is often blurred exactly who is working to whom. The strongest Ministers with the weakest Superiors frequently have managed to get the Superior facilitating their own agenda rather than the usual way around.
How your Boss talks to his/her Superior: #5 - The Press-Officer
Expected at all times to express the Superior’s opinion. With Superior’s who are weak on the party-line, or just weak, particularly with Reagans and Krushchevs, the Superior will usually ensure that questions in this area (or most areas) are thrown over to the Press-Officer. Phrases such as “where do we stand on that one, Jack?” and “do you have the latest on this?” give the game away. Be careful not to confuse the Press-Officer, who is just a voice, with the following types (Minister, Lieutenant, Agent on Earth) who have real power
Don't make a fool of yourself
The instruction “do not make a fool of yourself” appears obvious. Clearly, don’t make yourself look stupid. However there is a more subtle side to this. Only with the Hitler and the Krushchev is there any mileage in trying to make yourself look good.
With all other types, they will ignore/forget if you say something intelligent, but notice and maybe even remember if you say something foolish. Because of the potential difference in grade/perspective/age between you and them, what appears intelligent to you may well appear foolish in their eyes. It is very easy to chip in a pert remark in a meeting, only to find all eyes focussed on you while the Superior in question expresses an alternative view which makes your remark look extremely naïve.
Be extra careful with the Thatcher, who will follow up the foolishness, and with the Saddam who may well simply order your execution afterwards (or in corporate speak, become a block to your chances of promotion within the next decade or two).
This leads on to a related point. Superiors are unlikely to be directly involved in any discussions about your pay, grade or general opportunities. They do, however, tend to have to sign any changes off. And if you make a fool of yourself, they won’t; at the very least they will obstruct or delay it, and may well have the power to block your chances permanently. On the other hand, even if they remember anything positive you might have done in their presence, it is not going to lead to a corresponding “seems good, I think we should even give her another couple of thousand over and above the recommended figure” type of response. They are not involved in the evaluation, only in the yes/no decision at the end.
So, when the Superior is around:
- speak when spoken to
- be brief, and stick to the party line
- do not try to stand out
- be seen and not heard
- and above all, don't end up looking a fool... unless you have a cunning plan
- and above all, don't end up looking a fool... unless you have a cunning plan
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Superiors: The Kruschev
The Krushchev is a victim of the Peter Principle. He/she has indeed risen to his/her level of incompetence. Over-promoted and therefore probably personally insecure. Capricious in the extreme. Points to note:
a) the Krushchev will have pet areas of interest. If your specialism is one of these, you may have the opportunity to shine, but equally you may have the opportunity to inadvertently contradict this superior’s (usually outdated, because the knowledge was acquired twenty years earlier in their career) specialist knowledge. If this happens, you will be marked down as a fool, and this will probably not be forgotten.
b) the Krushchev is often bad at delegating responsibility. Your own Boss may therefore be in a position of almost total freedom to pursue their own agenda. This might or might not be a bad thing: you need to evaluate how far this might take you out of the mainstream of the company. If the agenda is particularly independent or bizarre, you could find yourself allocated to a kind of internal Siberia.
Dealing with more remote Superiors
Three things matter when dealing with your boss's Superior(s):
The next posts look at each in turn
- Do not make a fool of yourself
- Do NOT make a fool of your boss
- Understand the relationship between Boss and Superior
The next posts look at each in turn
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